A Forgotten Friendship
by Yusei-pal473
Summary: A request from the core of justice. Zyon (his OC) goes with May and Dawn to Alola, where they reunite with Ash, as well as meet friends new and old. OCxMayxLillie, AshxMallowxLana, Amourshipping, and hints of Pearlshipping friendship. Also Smart!Ash. M for language and adult content. Characters will be OOC, so be warned.
1. Reunion!

**Okay, guys, this is a request from the core of justice. It features his OC Zyon paired with Dawn and May, as well as Ash with Mallow. Just like my one-shot Alolan Therapy, this does have mentions of Amourshipping in it. Unlike it, though, it'll also feature the rest of Ash's classmates as well as Professor Kukui and Samson Oak. It is going to be a bit more adult-oriented as well, so it has an M rating. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Zyon belongs to the core of justice. _Pokémon_ belongs to Game Freak.**

* * *

 **Reunions**

At the Hoenn region, all the citizens at of Mauville City were overjoyed. There was a Grand Contest happening there and many were attending. Even the Gym Leader Wattson was in the audience. The reason was that the 'Hoenn Princess' May Maple was participating after returning from the Johto region. Of course, another participant was a friend she made in Sinnoh, Dawn, who beat her at the Wallace Cup for her third Ribbon. This Contest was one they wouldn't forget, as it made the audience hoop and holler in excitement at the scene.

As the contest was going on, one young man ran towards the building, knowing full well he was late for the Appeals Round, but figured that he could make it in time to see the Battle Rounds. He was a 14-year-old African-American who was 5'8. He wore a red T-shirt under a dark grey vest, blue jeans, black sneakers, and red gloves similar to another Trainer May and Dawn knew, in addition to May's bandanas on his arms, the red one on his right, the green one on his left. His Raichu was following close behind, knowing that he didn't want to miss the battles. They ran by Officer Jenny, who had a look of recognition on her face. "Okay, where's he off to?" she asked, getting a small bark from her Growlithe. They then looked at the Contest Hall and figured out that he was heading there, smiling with knowledge of the fact that he was going to see May, not knowing about his relationship with Dawn as well.

The Trainer got into the Contest Hall and looked around for Wattson to see what he was up to. He spotted him in the audience, so he attempted to walk up to the Gym Leader. He stopped after seeing May and Dawn. He smirked and went with Raichu to the locker room to wait for them.

* * *

 _(Opening: 'Alola!')_

 _"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. My dream is to become a Pokémon Master."_

 _"This is my partner, Pikachu!"_

 _"Let's all go search for Pokémon with full force!"_

(Ash and Pikachu are running towards the Pokémon School with enthusiastic smiles on their faces. Then a shot of the Alola region is shown with the _SM_ logo appearing.)

(Ash is taking a breather due to the humidity as Mallow and the others appear to around him.)

 _We won't get anywhere if we just stand around and wait_

 _The sun, the moon, Pokémon, that girl,_

(The gang is shown with their Pokémon with Lillie getting frightened of Ash's Pikachu)

(Everyone is sliding down the sliding down the slide before crashing into an Alolan Exeggutor, then get up and dance. In order: Ash, Sophocles, Lillie, Mallow, Kiawe, and Lana.)

 _They've all had head-turning adventures_

 _(Aye-yee-yah-yee-yah!)_

(Ash is running as Litten spots him and uses Ember to burn his face.)

 _Shocking and startling, they're never ever gonna stop_

 _Looking here and there and everywhere, I can't help myself_

(Team Rocket is looking around as Bewear pops up and grabs them)

 _Come on, we can go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on_

 _(Aye-yee-yah-yee-yah!)_

 _In the heated battle, I choose you! (In the heated battle, I choose you!_

(As they walk, Ash is in the lead, followed by Mallow, May, Dawn, Lana, Lillie, Sophocles, and Kukui. Zyon is on a Latios while Kiawe is on Charizard. Samson tries to join in the dance, but gets smacked by Komala.) _There, get 'em. I caught it! (There, get 'em. I caught it!)_

 _(Gooo!)_

 _Heartbeats firing up, dashing on hot like the brilliant sun (Yeah!)_

(The gang is shown giving commands with their signature Pokémon attacking. Lillie grabs her Egg.)

(Ash is shown attempting to catch a Grubbin as the others look on.)(Ash and Zyon are shown battling as the others, now including Brock, Iris, and Serena, cheer them on, Iris and Serena even wearing cheerleading outfits for Ash. Solgaleo even appears to interrupt the battle.)

 _Courage seething through, shining upon us as we aim for the moon (Aye-yee-yah-yee-yah!)_

(Ash and Pikachu glimpse at Tapu Koko, who flies towards the moon. Lunala also appears flying past them.)

 _Come on, feel the maximum energy with your all_

(Ash and Pikachu are shown using Gigavolt Havoc.)

(They are shown looking out of the classroom with an excited look on their faces.)

 _From the top of your lungs, Alola!_

* * *

Meanwhile, on the contest stage, May had just gotten done with her battle, beating out Zoey to move on to the Final Round and hoping her opponent was Dawn. The blue-haired Coordinator looked and saw May encouraging her to try her best. She saw the same fire in her eyes that she saw in their mutual friend Ash's, only not quite as intense. The two of them shared a 'peace' sign as Dawn got ready to face her opponent, which was her childhood friend Kenny. "You really have changed, Dawn," Kenny stated before having a slightly dejected look on his face. "It was because of Ash, wasn't it?"

"A large part of it was Ash. A very large part," she said. "I still owe him, Zoey, and May quite a lot, Kenny, and I intend to pay them back, especially Ash! I still miss him dearly, so this contest is for him!"

"How touching. I've been hearing that name come from another contestant as well, Ms. Dawn," Mr. Contesta said, grabbing May and Dawn's attention. "Now, you both know the rules. The battles have a time limit of two minutes. Whoever knocks their opponent's points down to zero wins. You also win if you have more points when the two-minute timer is done. And...begin!"

"Okay, Empoleon, let's go!" Kenny shouted with fierce determination. Empoleon took to the field, ready to face what came its way.

"Quilava, Spotlight!" Dawn exclaimed. Quilava saw its opponent and knew that its trainer was just like her friend, who also had a Quilava.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Dawn..." said May, who had a bit of worry in her voice before smiling. "You're more like Ash than I thought."

"Empoleon, use Steel Wing!" Kenny exclaimed. Empoleon's wings turned a metallic color and charged towards Quilava.

"Quilava, Dig!" Dawn ordered. Quilava dug underground and dodged the Steel Wing, knocking some of Kenny's points off. Dawn smiled before giving her next order. "Quilava, use Flame Wheel!" A burning circle formed around Empoleon as Quilava repeatedly circled around it. Using Empoleon's own Steel-type element to even out the effectiveness of the attack, Dawn had Quilava burst out of the ground, knocking more points off from Kenny and forming a burning cage. The flames reached up to Quilava, who used it to form a sort of Meteor Flame Wheel and getting the crowd to cheer.

"Grr! Empoleon, Aqua Jet and Steel Wing!" Empoleon did as it was told and covered itself with water, shooting up and re-coating its wings in the metallic armor. It spun and dodged the Meteor Flame Wheel, slamming Quilava to finally knock some points off of Dawn. Because of Aqua Jet's super effectiveness against Quilava, it knocked enough points off of the bluenette until they were tied, which was at about three-quarters left. "Empoleon, Water Gun!"

"Quilava, Flamethrower!" In a mirror of Ash's battle against Gary at the Johto League, steam built up, but the audience could tell that more points were taken off of Dawn. Kenny could see from Empoleon looking around again that Quilava disappeared again. "Quilava, Flame Wheel!" The exclamation shocked Kenny, but he saw Empoleon get repeatedly slammed thanks to Dawn and Quilava taking advantage of the latter's speed and the Sinnoh Water Starter's size.

"Time's up!" Mr. Contesta shouted, ending the battle. They looked at the board and saw that it was close as usual. However, Dawn barely squeaked by with the win. "The winner is...Dawn! That means that you'll be facing May in the Final Round...as soon as we get the stage fixed up." Dawn fell backwards in exhaustion, happy that she had beaten Kenny.

* * *

"I can't...I can't believe...I just did something...that Ash would do..." Dawn said with a smile on her face. She stumbled off the stage, being caught by Zoey. "Thanks, Zoey."

"Hey, no problem," Zoey said. "I'd say you made him proud."

"I second that," May said, approaching them and handing Dawn a towel and a water bottle. "If there's one thing he did at the Contest we did after he beat the Battle Frontier, it that he treated the Battle Rounds like a Gym Battle. By that, you know that I mean that he cut loose. I'm sure Blaziken would like a rematch with Sceptile sometime soon."

"He had a fully-evolved Water Starter in the Kalos League. I think it was called Greninja or something like that," said Dawn. "The bond was so strong that it even took a form similar to Ash...at least, as far as appearance was concerned. I wonder if he still has it with him..."

"He made the finals in that one, didn't he?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah. That's more progress than he made traveling with me. In Hoenn, Johto, and Unova, he made the Top Eight, and in Kanto, it was the Top Sixteen."

"Why was it that low in his own home?"

"I can answer that," May said. "It's because he has a Charizard that wouldn't listen to him at the time. Those issues are no more now."

"Well that's good," said Zoey. "It looks like they got the stage repaired now. Go give them hell, guys." Both May and Dawn smirked and nodded, getting ready for their long awaited rematch.

* * *

As the audience awaited for the two finalists, Drew looked on, happy that May made it to the Finals for the rematch between her and Dawn. He saw the depressed Kenny, who just lost to Dawn like Zoey did May. He hated seeing Kenny moping about his loss, especially since Drew himself lost against Solidad in his first Contest. The green-haired coordinator felt the same way about May that Kenny felt about Dawn. The difference was that Drew kept it to himself while Kenny was more obvious. They did get a clue as to who they _thought_ was keeping them from getting with them: Ash. Drew had enough of Kenny's crying, so he approached him, intent on silencing him. "Kenny!" he exclaimed, getting his fellow Coordinator to stop crying. "That is your name, right?" Kenny nodded to confirm it. "Just because you lost to Dawn doesn't mean that you can just sit here and cry. Do you want to know why you lost?"

"I already do know, Drew," Kenny said, drying up. "It's because Dawn got along with Ash a little too well. Like with him, type advantage didn't matter to her. I'm not crying because I lost to Dawn; I'm crying because it's like losing to Ash without him being here."

"Except Ash only participated in two Contests: Terracotta Town and the Wallace Cup."

"Why was he allowed to enter in those two?"

"Terracotta was because it was unofficial, meaning that Ash could participate as well. He and Sceptile tied with May and Blaziken in that one. As for the Wallace Cup, he was invited by Wallace himself along with May, Dawn, and Zoey." He saw the disgruntled look on Kenny's face, knowing that Ash participated in the Wallace Cup at Lake Valor and he didn't even see it. He did know that Dawn beat May, but had no idea that Ash even entered until Drew told him. The more experienced Coordinator was about to speak up again, but they saw an unfamiliar face heading to the locker rooms. It was the Trainer and Raichu from earlier. "Hold it!" Drew exclaimed, stopping the Trainer. "Unless you're participating, you're not allowed back here!" Drew knew he was telling a lie, since Ash, Max, and Brock frequently visited May backstage. Kenny knew that Ash and Brock did the same for Dawn as well.

"Actually, I was heading backstage to say hi to a couple of lovely ladies," the Trainer said.

"Rai Rai," Raichu said, speaking up.

"Careful, Drew," Kenny said. "That Raichu looks tough."

"Glad you noticed," said the Trainer, who had on a goofy grin on his face. "Now if you don't mind..."

"How about a battle instead. We'd have to take it outside, though," said Drew, interrupting his new opponent.

"Fine by me. My choice of Pokémon is a bit on the large side anyway." Drew and Kenny both knew that they didn't like this guy from the start. Drew could hardly wait for the battle.

* * *

The three of them went outside to a battle arena that wasn't too far from the Contest Hall. Kenny, being the only spectator, was also the judge. Drew grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt, pushed the button to expand it to normal size, and threw it. "Go, Roserade!" he exclaimed. Roserade appeared ready for battle.

"Roserade, huh? Haven't seen one of those in a while," said the stranger, who also got a Poké Ball out. "Garchomp, let's rock!" With the Poké Ball thrown into the air, a Garchomp popped out. The notch in its dorsal fin told Drew and Kenny that this Garchomp was a male. "What do you think? Garchomp's rough hide prevents him from being hit hard by most non-Dragon attacks. Of course, with it being a Ground-type as well, Roserade's Grass-type attacks would make Garchomp look like he was hit with an attack of neutral effectiveness."

"This guy's a bit of a nutcase, don't you think?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, except he's right," said Drew. "You're from the Sinnoh region, Kenny. You should've known about Garchomp's stats."

"He's from Sinnoh?" the stranger questioned. "How come I never came across him before?"

"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you! Roserade, Petal Dance!" Roserade jumped into the air and fired pink petals at Garchomp. The Dragon-type, seemingly without being told, used Protect, blocking the pink petals and preventing him from reaching him.

"How'd he do that?" asked Kenny.

"I don't know, but I'm about to find out! Roserade, Solar Beam!" Taking advantage of the harsh sunlight, Roserade didn't take long to gather its energy. It fired at Garchomp, who tried his hand at Protect again. This time, the defensive move failed and Garchomp was hit dead-on. "Bingo!"

"Don't get too cocky," said the stranger. The smoke cleared and Garchomp was revealed to have barely a scratch on him, much to Drew and Kenny's shock. "You see, I spent some time working on Garchomp's Defense. I had no problem with his attack." Drew then noticed that his opponent looked like he was concentrating as Garchomp used Dragon Claw to attack Roserade, who dodged it.

"He's a Psychic!" The stranger smirked, glad that Drew figured it out. "You've been giving Garchomp orders through telepathy, haven't you?"

"Busted. It's sort of a habit of mine."

"But doesn't telepathy only work on Psychic-types?" Kenny asked.

"Actually, that's a common misconception. If the training is strong enough, a psychic connection is possible with anything and anyone you're close to." It was then that Kenny also noticed something else about Garchomp.

"Uh, Drew? What's that on Garchomp's neck?" Drew looked to see what he was talking about. It was a metal ring with an odd stone in it.

"Dammit," he cursed out, knowing full well what it was. "That, Kenny, is a little something Hoennites picked up from visiting Kalosians." The stranger, with a smirk on his face, pressed a similar stone on a ring he was wearing on his wrist. Four beams of light emerged from it with similar beams emerging from Garchomp's ring. As the stranger raised his arm into the air, Garchomp became encased in a glass sphere before breaking out, revealing a taller, changed version of him. The fins and claws on his arms were replaced with axes, his head and shoulders were angular, he had red spikes on each side of his torso, and red spikes on his knees. "It's called Mega Evolution, and only a handful of Pokémon possess them. In fact, May's Blaziken and Ash's Sceptile have this capability."

"Ash?" the stranger asked himself, a little bothered not knowing that name when he felt like he should. "I don't know who this 'Ash' person is, but he must be pretty important if he's mentioned by you two." This caught Drew and Kenny's attention as they looked back at their new rival. "You're good, Drew, but I'm afraid you just lost!"

"Maybe, but if there's one thing I learned during my first Contest, it's to never give up! Roserade, Razor Leaf and Petal Dance!" The two attacks came simultaneously, causing Garchomp to use Protect at his Trainer's command. The Mega Evolved Dragon-type sent the leaves and petals away and gathered energy, causing Drew, Kenny, and Roserade to brace themselves. Garchomp aimed upwards, alerting Drew and Kenny that the attack was Draco Meteor. "Roserade, Protect!" Roserade put the shield up as the Draco Meteor landed in several areas around them. It was protected, as were Drew and the stranger. However, Kenny wound up having one heading towards him. Before he could move out of the way, the attack hit near enough to him for Kenny to be knocked backwards.

The stranger uncovered his eyes as the dust cleared and saw Kenny knocked out. "Oh my Arceus, Garchomp! You hit that 'Kenny' kid!"

"You bastard! Roserade, Solar Beam!" The bipedal plant fired off another Solar Beam at Garchomp, hitting him dead on like last time. However, it did even less damage than last time. Garchomp responded with a Dragon Claw, this time, slashing Roserade and sending it out of bounds and knocking it out. "Roserade!"

"I told you you lost, Drew. Still, that was a good battle," said the stranger, who was about to walk away.

"Where did you learn to battle like that?" No answer came to Drew. "You must've been here or at Kalos long enough to know how to use Mega Evolutions."

"Kalos? No, I haven't been there. I'm actually a Hoenn native." The revelation shocked Drew to the core. "Now if you're wondering how I got a Garchomp, I did spend some time in Sinnoh. I also attended Professor Oak's Summer Camp in Kanto when I was a kid." Before Drew could respond, he saw something peculiar on his arms: a pair of familiar bandannas.

"Where did you get those?" The question confused the stranger to no end. "They belong to May Maple. Don't tell me you stole them!"

"'Stole them'? Don't be ridiculous, man. We've known each other as kids, so she gave them to me."

"Liar!"

"Actually, Drew," said a familiar voice. "It's the truth." They looked and saw May approaching them in her new casual outfit, which consisted of a red tank top with a black undershirt, white short shorts with black lycra mini-leggings underneath, yellow-and-black ankle boots, a new red kerchief with the tied-up part on top, and a green-and-yellow fanny pack. She had a stern look on her face as she approached. Dawn wasn't too far behind, wearing a green shirt with a black skirt. "Zyon and I did know each other as kids. If I were you, I'd leave him alone."

Dawn looked even further and saw that Kenny was still out cold. "What happened to him?" she asked.

"Ask Garchomp," said Drew, a hint of frustration in his voice. Garchomp, who was back in his regular form, responded by sheepishly scratching his head. That's when they heard some groaning and the stranger, now known as Zyon, decided that it was a good idea to return Garchomp to his Poké Ball so as to not scare Kenny. The younger Coordinator regained his bearings and saw the same sheepish smile on Zyon's face that his Dragon-type had earlier. "You're buddy there really ruined our day. The fact that Kenny wound up taking a Draco Meteor from a Mega-Evolved Garchomp didn't help much."

"Zyon!" Dawn said, giving a glare at her and May's friend, making him nervous. "I told you that Draco Meteor was dangerous! Piplup knows too well!"

"Well, yeah...but I didn't expect it to hit Kenny," said Zyon. What Zyon still didn't know was how Dawn and Piplup knew the dangers of the move before he did.

"Okay, you guys, that's enough," May said, breaking the argument before it could progress any further. "As it just so happens, Dawn and I are even now. Because of that, I won tickets to the Alola region for a vacation. I'm pretty sure all three of us can use one." Kenny and Drew, having heard what May just said, looked at each other, now having the same idea for payback against him. "We'll send you guys some postcards and souvenirs, so don't worry," she said to her and Dawn's rivals.

"See you!" Dawn added, not glancing back at the dejected, but determined rivals.

* * *

They packed their stuff and got on a cruise ship heading to Alola. As May's party boarded onto the main part of the ship, Drew and Kenny got into the cargo bay in a crate. None of them had any idea that they were there, nor that May and Dawn were going to reunite with an old friend. The ship made it to the middle of the ocean on its course to Melemele Island. Zyon was leaning on the rail, a certain name still lingering in his mind. Raichu understood his trainer a lot of times, but not in this case. _'Just who is this 'Ash' person that Kenny and Drew mentioned?'_ he thought. _'Why is it bothering me this badly? Did May and Dawn know him before me?'_

"Something on your mind?" Dawn asked, approaching Zyon and Raichu.

"No. Just enjoying the scenery."

"Liar. I've known you for a long time, Zyon. And May's known you for even longer. Something's on your mind, but I don't know what. Is it something your mentor said before we got on this cruise?" Zyon hung his head low, knowing that Dawn was at least partially right.

"Something like that, but it's more like a mini-conversation Drew and Kenny had regarding someone named 'Ash'." The minute his name came out of Zyon's mouth, Dawn flinched, expression turning into dread. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this 'Ash' person, would you?"

"Um, no...n-not really," Dawn said, turning around so he wouldn't see the embarrassed blush on her face.

"You do know something, don't you?"

"I plead the Fifth!"

"Fine, but the truth is going to come out, Dawn. And who knows? This 'Ash' could be a one-night stand you had." Dawn still had the blush on her face, but she knew the truth; Ash was still her lifelong best friend despite being close to Zyon and May. As Dawn walked past the cabins, her and May's cabin opened up to reveal the latter coming out of it. Before May could say anything, the bluenette brought her into a huddle.

"When you talk to Zyon, don't mention a thing about 'him' to him, got it." May was about to make a crack about any lingering feeling Dawn had for their frequently-journeying friend, but saw the serious look on her face.

"Way to ruin a joke, Dawn," said the older Coordinator. "Okay. I won't even bring him up."

"Good, but Drew and Kenny already did and it's bothering him." After they broke apart, May went to talk to Zyon while Dawn was at the back of the ship. She opened up her PokéDex, which could also take photos, and pulled up an old picture she had kept of her, Ash, and Brock along with their Pokémon on their last day together. She smiled as she scrolled to another of her and Ash laughing together as Brock got pulled away by Croagunk. A third and final picture was of the two of them with Iris and Cilan in Unova. They did the rabbit ears gag on a disgruntled Iris while Cilan was trying to get in the picture. _'Ash,'_ she thought, thinking about her friend. _'I hope you're safe, especially after the Kalos crisis. But I have the strongest faith in the fact that you're still alive.'_

* * *

After a few days, the ship had finally got to Melemele Island. The trio grabbed their luggage and got off the ship to have a look around. They were impressed by the view, including the unique Pokémon. Zyon was eager to try out a number of things that Alola was known for, including the Ride Pokémon. He and Raichu got a little too eager, in fact. "Okay, time to find out where they're renting out Ride Pokémon! C'mon, Raichu!" he said excitedly.

"Rai, Rai!" Raichu exclaimed with as much enthusiasm.

"Wait, you guys!" Dawn shouted. Unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears, as Zyon and Raichu had run off. "We have to get to our hotel rooms first..."

"We'll handle the hotel rooms, Dawn," said May. Dawn nodded as they went to the hotel to check in.

* * *

They got checked in and checked Zyon into the room next to them so as to not raise any suspicions of a 'party' going on, much like the way they did on the ship. May and Dawn changed into their bikinis, got their beach gear, and headed to the shore. When they got there, they saw Zyon and Raichu riding a Sharpedo with a seat and handlebars on it. "Is that safe?" Dawn asked as May got her PokéDex out.

 _"SHARPEDO: THE BRUTAL POKEMON AND THE EVOLVED FORM OF CARVAHNA. A WATER/DARK-TYPE. IN THE ALOLA REGION, SHARPEDO FUNCTION AS RIDE POKEMON, THUS TRAINED TO BE HARMLESS TO THE RIDERS."_

"Well that's a relief," May said. "Zyon will be just fine. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to catch a few rays." Dawn nodded as she and Piplup stretched out. May put her headphones in, which left Dawn with no one to talk to but her Starter.

"No need to worry, Piplup," she said. "If it's just you and me, we can manage just fine." Piplup spoke up in excitement, amusing its trainer.

"Ash, I think Lana said it was over here!" exclaimed a voice, getting Dawn's attention.

"Ash?" She looked and saw a green-haired girl with tan skin and a smile that exuded confidence. She had on a pair of overall shorts with a pink tube top underneath, a pair of sneakers, and a cherry-like Pokémon on her shoulder. With her was a familiar face that Dawn was happy to see. Wearing a blue-and-white striped T-shirt, black cargo shorts, sneakers, and a red cap. Complete with the confident eyes, the smile that Dawn admired, and Pikachu close behind, Dawn knew that it was her best friend: Ash Ketchum.

"Only one way to find out," Ash said. The green-haired girl nodded and was about to use the metal detector that was in her hand when Dawn began running up to them.

"Ash!" she exclaimed, getting the attention of Ash and the new girl. As she waved at him, the Kanto duo knew who it was.

"Dawn!" Ash reached up for his usual high five with Dawn, but was immediately shocked when she hugged him instead. He was ecstatic to see her, but the one thing he'd be afraid of her doing was kissing him. This was due to his loyalty to a certain honey-blonde girl from Kalos. Luckily, they just kept it to a hug with Ash stroking Dawn's hair. The green-haired girl was starting to get impatient due to two reasons: 1) They still had something to dig up; and 2) She was about to remind Ash of his loyalties.

Zyon was still having fun riding the Sharpedo, but he happened to look and saw Dawn hugging someone else, along with that someone hugging her back. "Who the hell is Dawn hugging? And why does he look familiar?" he asked himself. He couldn't quite put it together in time since he was about to be sent back to shore by a Milotic.

Ash and Dawn finally broke the hug after a while, still happy to see each other. "It's so good to see you again, Ash," she said. "I'm sorry about what happened at Kalos. That was the closest you've ever gotten, right?" Before Ash could answer, Zyon and Raichu fell right next to them, with Sharpedo not too far. "Oh, and this is Zyon." Ash and the green-haired girl freaked out after seeing Sharpedo on the sand. They scurried to pick up the Brutal Pokémon and get it back into the water. They even took the time to clear its gills of the sand that got in, something of which the Pokémon was grateful for.

"That was close," the girl said.

"You can say that again," said Ash. They went back to Dawn and Zyon after that. "Sorry about that. I hate seeing a Water Pokémon on land when they have to be in the water."

"Nah, it's cool," Zyon said. "I'd have done the same thing. I'm guessing you know Dawn already."

"And May over there." Ash's explanation shocked Zyon, but he knew his conclusion came true. "By the way, my name's Ash Ketchum. I'm not a native from around here. I'm actually from Pallet Town in Kanto."

"And yet, you're the runner-up in the Kalos League?"

"Guilty as charged."

"You know, Ash, thinking about it makes me wish you still had your Sceptile with you. That Greninja of yours can only do so much," said Dawn. "Speaking of, can I see it?"

"Sorry, Dawn, but I'm afraid I had to leave him at Kalos to get rid of any more dark roots that Team Flare may have. He promised me that he'd go back to Professor Sycamore's lab to be sent to me once his work's done."

"That's understandable."

"Oh, and before I forget, this is Mallow. She is one of the natives.

"I was wondering when you were going to introduce me," Mallow said. "And this is Bounsweet. She and I helped Ash rescue Pikachu from Team Rocket the first day they were here."

"Don't tell me it's still those same three morons," Dawn said, astonished. "They followed you all the way here?"

"I wasn't that surprised, especially since they followed me to Kalos as well."

"Bummer. All I saw was the Lumiose Conference, the Kalos crisis, your incident with a Garchomp on Prism Tower, and this one girl's showcases."

"Is she talking about Serena?" Mallow asked.

"I believe so," said Ash.

"Well now that you guys got your little game of catch-up out of the way, how about a battle, Ash?" Zyon requested. "My Raichu against your Pikachu?" Ash looked to Pikachu as the two shared the same smirk on their faces.

"Okay, Zyon, you're on!" The two of them smiled as a battle was about to start. However, Zyon was ambushed in a hug by May. "Hey, May. I see you're finally up."

"It wasn't a long nap, Ash. Nice seeing you again," she said.

"I appreciate the hug, May, but now may not have been the best time. I was about to battle him."

"Sorry, Zyon." May got off of Zyon as he and Ash got to their respective sides.

"Let's go, Raichu!"

"Are you ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked, getting a confirmation from Pikachu as the latter ran along his arms before getting ready for battle. "I choose you!"

"This is going to be interesting," Dawn said, getting May and Mallow's attention. "Ash probably didn't tell you, but he and Pikachu have a history of defeating Raichu. First, it was the Vermilion City Gym. The second one was the one I witnessed. He beat this arrogant trainer named Sho. Both of them were rematches, though. However, since Pikachu's gotten stronger, I'm going to bet that Ash will be the first in a long time to give Zyon a run for his money."

"You may be right about that, Dawn," said May. Mallow remained silent, but she knew that Ash had a trick up his sleeve.

 _'Raichu, use only half your strength,'_ Zyon said telepathically to his mouse. _'I'd like for Ash and Pikachu to think they stand a chance. Plus, I'd like to find out just what kind of team these two make. From what Dawn said, Ash is supposed to be this incredible trainer.'_

"Rai!" Raichu exclaimed in the affirmative.

"You're not the first telepath I met!" Ash exclaimed, shocking the others that Ash found out so quickly. Mallow was confused, though. "Seriously, you and Raichu might want to be more subtle about that!" Just as Mallow was putting the pieces together, an unusual PokéDex floated around Ash and scanned Raichu.

 _"RAICHU: THE MOUSE POKEMON AND THE EVOLVED FORM OF PIKACHU. A PURE ELECTRIC-TYPE OUTSIDE OF ALOLA. RAICHU'S SIZE ALLOWS IT TO STORE MORE ELECTRICITY WITHIN THE ELECTRIC SACS ON ITS CHEEKS. HOWEVER, IT'S SLOWER THAN ITS PRE-EVOLUTION IN TERMS OF SPEED, MAKING PIKACHU THE SUPERIOR SPEEDSTER IN ITS EVOLUTIONARY LINE."_ It was then that the floating PokéDex let off an alarm in shock at this particular Raichu's data.

"What is it, Rotom?" Ash asked.

 _"THIS RAICHU...IT'S...IT'S...RELATED TO YOUR PIKACHU!"_

"You mean he's Pikachu's brother?" Rotom's screen had a check mark on it, showing Ash that he hit the nail on the head. Ash and the others looked down at Pikachu and found that he was angrier than he normally is at a Raichu. "I knew Pikachu hated his evolved form, but this is ridiculous." Pikachu surprised the humans, Raichu, and Rotom by letting out his electricity.

"Okay, this Pikachu's obviously more powerful than I thought it was," Zyon said. _'Since Ash is living here, I guess I count as a guest. Raichu, start with Volt Tackle!'_

"Pikachu, dodge and use Iron Tail!" Pikachu did as he was told, dodging Raichu's attack first. When Raichu came back around, Pikachu had a bit of a surprise for his brother. After all, Ash didn't say exactly where to hit. As Raichu tried to attack Pikachu again, he received an attack square in the face. This caused the larger of the two to stumble and fall on his stomach. "Nice shot, Pikachu!"

 _'That was a tough Iron Tail. Not bad for a little rodent. This won't be very effective, but...Raichu, Thunder!'_ Ash figured out what Zyon's next move was since Raichu fired electricity in the sky. He just had to time it right so Pikachu could use his tail for a lightning rod.

"And...now, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu raised his tail and absorbed the electricity, powering itself up.

"How did Pikachu do that!?" Dawn asked in shock, sharing the same expression as Mallow. "I know Ash can come up with some complex strategies that usually work, but I thought Pikachu's ability was Static, not Lightning Rod!"

"He did something similar when he faced Winona back in Hoenn," May explained, the only one not shocked at the sight. "Pikachu and Swellow were covered in a metallic armor thanks to Pikachu's Thunderbolt being used in an unorthodox way." The group had no idea that there were two extra pairs of eyes watching: Ash and Mallow's teacher, and an old traveling companion of Ash, May, and Dawn.

"Now I know you didn't screw up, Zyon!" Ash exclaimed to his opponent, knowing he was up to something else. "What now?"

"Caught me red-handed, Ash!" Zyon said, shrugging. Ash knew when to relax and when not to. _'Raichu, Hyper Beam!'_ Raichu did as he was told, charging up a Hyper Beam to fire at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" The two attacks collided, with Pikachu's Thunderbolt getting a power boost thanks to the electricity he absorbed. Suddenly, a flash of light forced Ash and Zyon to cover their eyes as visions came into their sight.

* * *

 _Within the vision was a sight that was familiar to both of them for some reason. It was Professor Oak's Summer Camp. There, a younger Gary was leading a reluctant group of kids in a march. They were reluctant because they always liked Ash for his personality and Gary would pick at him, even though they were friends. A younger Zyon was among them, not too fond of Gary himself. It was then that they saw Ash come out of the woods with a young girl with honey blond hair. It was there that Gary noticed Ash's handkerchief on her knee. "Well would you look at that?" he said, snickering at the two of them. "Ash, it's no wonder you stink at trying to catch a Pokémon! You're too busy flirting around!"_

 _"How about you can it before I box your jaw off, Gary!" Ash warned._

 _"Leave him alone, Gary," Zyon said. "He helped her out of the woods, so you have to give him that one."_

 _"Alright, alright," Gary said. "It just puts me ahead of my Pokémon training." After that, he went into the cabin for a bottle of water._

 _"Jerk..." the girl said._

 _"He's like that," said Ash. "Here, let's sit you down." The girl complied with Ash's suggestion, blushing up a storm. Zyon merely smiled at the sight, as did Professor Oak, the girl's mother, and Gary._

* * *

Back in the present, the collision between Pikachu's Thunderbolt and Raichu's Hyper Beam was over. Both of them had several scuff marks as well as tired expressions. "A-A vision...?" Zyon asked himself.

"More like a memory!" said Ash, who was smiling. "It's been a long time, Zyon."

"Too long if you ask me."

"You two knew each other!?" May and Dawn asked at the same time.

"Yep, a long time ago. We met at Professor Oak's Summer Camp," Zyon explained to the girls before turning to Ash. "Sorry, Ash! That was my biggest light show! With Raichu, anyway!"

"That's okay, but I still have one more trick up my sleeve!" said Ash, who brought his arms to his front, causing the device on his wrist to glow yellow. He brought his arms to his right side before swinging them to his left, then connecting them, his left hand at his shoulder and his right hand at his left elbow, palms out. This supplied Pikachu with a surge of electrical energy. "This is everything we've got!" he exclaimed, stating his motto for this particular type of move. Ash and Pikachu brought their fists back and surged them forward. The electricity charged on Pikachu's fist and fired at Raichu. "Gigavolt Havoc!" When the attack hit the larger Pokémon, Raichu fell on his back, knocked out. Pikachu was happy that he won, but Ash and Mallow figured something was up.

"That was a good battle, Raichu."

"It was," said Ash. "But something doesn't add up. Raichu was fighting at half his strength, wasn't he?"

"You really do have a battle instinct. He wasn't fighting at full strength, that much is true. I originally intended for him to fight at half to make things more interesting, but Pikachu really did turn out to be tougher than I thought, so I had Raichu up the ante a little. They both must've gotten hurt during that little trip we took down memory lane."

"If that beam struggle was any indication."

"You've really grown, Ash," said a voice that was familiar to Ash, May and Dawn. Approaching them was a figure with squinted eyes, tan skin, brown hair, a green-and-orange vest, khaki cargo pants, green shirt, and white sneakers. "You're battler's intuition must've improved while I was gone."

"It's Brock!" exclaimed Ash, May, and Dawn, getting their older friend to smile.

"That's the guy who used to be the Pewter City Gym Leader, Ash?" Mallow asked.

"Yep," Ash answered. He's journeyed with me since then. The exception was the Orange Islands. He stopped journeying after Sinnoh, but I met up with Dawn again in Unova for a little bit."

"Wait, you were in Unova?" Brock asked, getting a nod from his old friend. "I actually came across someone from there. Striaton City, to be exact."

"Wait, was he dressed like a waiter?"

"And had green hair and eyes?" Dawn added.

"And a Pansage and Crustle?" Ash finished.

"That sounds just like him," answered Brock.

"His name is Cilan. Last I checked, he and his brothers had to shut down their Gym because of new ones being put in place in different parts of Unova."

"I'm guessing that their Gym wasn't your ordinary one."

"Nope. I'll explain later."

"You know, I actually have a cousin in Unova who's very fond of Dragon-types," Zyon said.

"This sounds familiar," Dawn said to Ash. "What's her name?"

"Her name is Iris. Why?" That's when Ash pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned before heading back upstairs and back in the direction of the house he was staying at.

"Ash, where are you going?" May asked.

"I think I'm going to lie down," Ash groaned out, carrying Pikachu.

"Ash, if you need to lie down, you can use my towel to sleep on!" Dawn offered.

"Thanks for the offer, Dawn, but I'll pass." After that, Ash was out of hearing range.

"What did I say?" Zyon asked.

"Iris' name," Dawn answered. "You see, Zyon, Ash and Iris traveled together in Unova. It was after Ash beat the Striaton City Gym that they traveled with Cilan. During the whole damn thing, Ash and Iris argued frequently, almost as much as he did with Gary."

"I'll go check up on him," Mallow said, forgetting about the possible treasure that Lana had sent them for.

"Same here," said Brock. "I've never seen Ash get an instant headache before."

"We'll catch up!" May shouted, also concerned for her friend/mentor. As she, Dawn, and Zyon made their way back to the hotel room with their stuff, May felt a strange, but familiar sensation, knowing that another one of Zyon's Pokémon was near. Pikachu looked to the sky as well after his ears twitched. Another one who sensed it was in its throne at the Ruins of Conflict. A yellow avian Pokémon with an orange crest and wings that double as shields also looked to the sky, wary of what was going to happen next.

TO BE CONTINUED...

CHAPTER 1 END

* * *

 **Okay, that was a long chapter. This one may have my longest chapters yet if the core of justice keeps supplying his ideas. Not that they're not appreciated.**


	2. Meeting the Class!

**Okay, you guys, let me clear something here: Normally, I wouldn't use the corresponding show's theme song with a fic, so you know who's idea that was. The only two times I would even put a song in a fic, if you read my other ones, would be obvious, and since I like Country music, that's usually the genre I pick (Don't expect any Florida Georgia Line or Luke Bryan songs, though).**

 **Also, I have no plans on using Logan Washburn or any of my other OCs in this as well. It's the core of justice's request. Besides, Logan's more of an _Assassin's Creed_ /DC/ _Street Fighter_ / _Bleach_ character, so he wouldn't exactly fit in**.

 **And one more thing: Dawn and Ash are still very close friends, but even though she has lingering feelings for him (my idea), this is NOT a PearlShipping fic. Dawn and May are with Zyon while Ash has Mallow and a very special someone from his childhood (Sorry, PokéShippers, but it's not Misty. She will appear, though).**

* * *

 **Meeting the Class!**

At the hotel that Zyon and the girls were staying at, they decided on pizza night. Of course, they had to order the pizza since Zyon had to heal up Raichu after the battle against Ash and Pikachu. As Dawn looked out the window, back in the casual outfit that Kenny saw her in the day they left for Alola, she didn't pay attention to the scene going on. May knew that Raichu felt humiliated while getting healed up. "Rai Rai," he grunted, arms crossed as the Potion was used on him.

"Don't worry about it, Raichu," May said. "I know you can normally beat a Pikachu. That particular one just happens to not be your average one. In fact, I could easily tell you were using about three-quarters of your power. That's more than what you usually use when Zyon tells you to hold back." Raichu merely glared at May and turned his nose up at her. "Fine. Be a spoiled sport. I bet if I had an Electric-type like Ash and Dawn, it wouldn't pout about a loss, even if it was against its Pre-Evolution." This continued to frustrate the larger mouse to the point where he used Thunder to strike her, unintentionally catching Zyon as well. It caught Dawn's attention for a little bit, but when she saw what was going on, she turned back to looking out the window.

"You know..." Zyon choked out. "I probably shouldn't have had Raichu hold back...Even if I didn't, I'm certain Ash and Pikachu would've given me and Raichu a run for our money."

"You think?" Dawn finally said, getting Zyon, May, and Raichu to look at her. "You weren't doing Ash any favors by doing that. He knew you held back. And he knew about the telepathy. Don't think of him as an idiot. He's far from it when it comes to battles." With that, she and Piplup stepped out the door, leaving her companions baffled.

"What's her problem?" Zyon asked May, who shrugged. Raichu had the same reaction. However, in spite of the telepathy training that he was putting the girls through, May knew that the one thing Zyon couldn't pry from their minds was the level of Dawn's attachment to Ash.

* * *

At the house that Ash was staying at, a man was sitting at the porch with a puppy-like Pokémon that had different shades of brown fur and rocks on its neck. The man was in great shape, wearing shorts, flip-flops, a lab coat, a green visor, slicked-back brown hair, and a tan. He looked and saw Mallow, Bounsweet, and Brock approaching the house, with Mallow in the lead. "Mallow?" he asked. "What brings you here?"

"We're wondering if Ash is okay," she said. "Can we check on him, Professor?" The man, revealed to be Professor Kukui, gave her a smile and signaled them into the house. They entered and Mallow immediately knew where Ash slept. She climbed the ladder to get to the loft while Kukui sat and got to know who Brock was. "Boy, Ash, you really do look bad. I guess just the mere mention of Iris was enough to wipe you out. But don't worry. Tomorrow, we'll be at the school and you won't have to deal with Zyon. As a matter of fact, the worst you and I have to deal with is Lana getting onto us for not getting that treasure."

Ash groaned as he opened his eye and saw his green-haired companion by his side. "Yeah, we still have to dig that up, don't we?" he managed to get out.

"How's your headache?"

"Better now that you're here. I just hope Zyon doesn't call Iris to come down here. She's the last person I want to deal with."

"Now I have a question." Ash listened as she asked. "Why did Iris call you a little kid when you were traveling with her?"

"She thought that because I was new to the Unova region and its Pokémon that I was just starting out. In fact, my PokéDex picked up Axew, but it didn't pick up that it was in her hair of all places. Between that and the recklessness I've been known for having, she kept calling me a little kid. Misty did as well for a while for the same reasons, plus Pikachu frying her bike, but the difference was that I actually was just starting out then. Unlike Iris, Misty's mellowed out due to her duties as Cerulean City's Gym Leader."

"I see...It sounds to me that Iris wasn't the best company to keep around. That is, unless she called you a little kid to tease you."

"She did do that," Ash confirmed.

"Then it may have been her way of hiding a possible crush she has on you," Mallow wondered.

"If it was, it was a very rotten way to do it. At least Serena didn't do that."

"No kidding. She kissed you at the Lumiose Airport before she left for the Hoenn region." Ash smiled at that memory, knowing full-well that that particular memory was going to be burned in his heart for a _very_ long time. Mallow had a look out the window and saw the sun setting, so she went down the ladder to speak to the Professor.

"...From the looks of things, you take very good care of Rockruff," Brock said, complimenting Rockruff's health. "I'm assuming he's the guard Pokémon here?"

"Yep," Kukui said. "He's a loyal friend. As a matter of fact, he took to Ash and Pikachu immediately. Ash's Rowlet as well."

"So Ash has a second Pokémon in his party?"

"That's right. Rowlet also happens to be Alola's Grass-type Starter. The Fire-type is Litten and the Water-type is Popplio. Ash and Mallow's friend Lana has the latter."

"Excuse me, Professor," Mallow spoke up, making her presence known. "The sun's about to set. Is it alright if I spend the night here?"

"Why certainly, Mallow," Kukui answered with a kind smile. "You do need to let your folks know, though." Mallow confirmed with an enthusiastic nod. "What about you, Brock?"

"As fun as it was catching up with Ash after so long, I have a place at the Pokémon Center to stay. As a traveling Pokémon Doctor, I'm afraid I stay in those places in case I'm needed." Kukui nodded in understanding as Brock left for the Pokémon Center. Mallow called her parents to tell them where she was at and said that she was spending the night there. After she did that, she rejoined Ash in the loft and got in bed with him. As Mallow wrapped a leg across his hips and an arm across his chest, she knew she could fall asleep right then and there.

* * *

Back at the hotel room, the moon lit up the night sky clearly. May and Zyon were watching a scary movie. Zyon could tell it was the Unova region's finest movie studio that made it. It was about a Dusknoir who would appear to scare away anyone who stood on its sacred ground without permission. If it couldn't scare them, it would be their last moment. Dawn came back in with the pizza in her hand and saw the movie they were watching. "Is that _Night of the Deadly Shadow_ you guys are watching?" she asked. The bluenette got the confirmation from Raichu since the other two humans were zoned in on it.

 _"Cliff, are you sure we should be here?"_ said one of the characters, who was speaking to her boyfriend.

 _"Yeah, Jenny,"_ said the man. _"We really should make sure to prove these guys wrong. There's nothing here."_

 _"But what if the rumors are true?"_

 _"Oh, relax will you? What the-? Ahh!"_ the man shouted as the Dusknoir appeared and took him into the cave, scaring the girl as well as getting May to bury her head into Zyon's shoulder. Dawn, however, wasn't that scared. She had actually wanted to see the movie with Ash, but he was in Kalos when it came out, meaning that if he did watch it, it was probably with another girl he was traveling with. It was then that May finally noticed her blue-haired friend with the pizza.

"When did you get back?" she asked, getting Zyon to look as well.

"Just at that scene," Dawn answered. "Of all the movies you could've picked while I was out, you went and picked that one?"

"Why not?" Zyon asked. "It was regarded as an instant classic. Besides, it's May's favorite horror movie and you weren't here to pick."

"Where did you go anyway?" May's question got Dawn to look at her after eating a slice of pizza.

"I needed some fresh air," she answered. "Plus, I wanted to check out some of the shops here. You won't believe the things the Alola region's got."

"I heard about those Malasada Shops. Great stuff according to the locals," Zyon said, getting May to drool at the thought of the malasadas in Alola. "Looks like somebody's worked up an appetite. I wonder if Ash can give us a tour of the city at some time."

"He probably can on the weekend. As it turns out, he's attending the Pokémon School here with that Mallow girl and learning the region's secrets. That means that he could teach us a few things, which is good considering that May and I could always learn something new."

"Wasn't it him that got you two on your feet in the first place?"

"Yep," May answered. "We're still grateful for him."

"Maybe Gary's right. He does have a habit of picking up pretty girls. If Mallow's any indication along with Dawn wanting to catch up with him." This got Dawn to turn around so he wouldn't see her blushing. Still, she knew that it would be interesting tomorrow. "Still, the Pokémon School does sound interesting."

"Are you thinking about enrolling, Zyon?" This got May a nod from him. "I'm pretty sure Dawn's got the same idea."

"Yeah, yeah I do," Dawn said.

"Then it's settled," Zyon said. "Starting tomorrow, we're going to class." They cheered, but it only brought one thought to Dawn's mind.

 _'Poor Ash.'_

* * *

The next day, Ash and Mallow got Brock's help in digging up the treasure, so they woke up early. It was like Lana thought: The treasure's container was the typical wooden box with brass joints. Ash and Brock each grabbed a handle and put it in the cart they brought. At the front were two Tauros pulling the cart while Ash and Mallow rode to the school. "I hope Lana can forgive us for being late with this treasure," Mallow said.

"Same here," said Ash. "Then again, I think that all she would care for is the fact that we got it. It was nice of Brock to help out." Mallow gave him a nod in agreement. "Oh, and sorry to worry you yesterday."

"That's okay. I know that the mere mention of Iris' name is enough to irritate you. The only other one who would know is Dawn. Speaking of which..."

"Yeah?"

"Now that I think about it, are you sure that Serena was the first of your traveling companions to kiss you? From the looks of things, it looks like Dawn's pretty affectionate towards you."

"Now that you mention it, she has been acting like that ever since we met up with them yesterday. It'd be a shame to have to tell her about Serena. And yes, Serena was the first of my traveling companions to kiss me." Mallow's giggle told Ash that she was only messing with him about the blue-haired Sinnohan.

"At any rate, let's get this treasure to Lana. She's not going to be happy with how late it is, but she'll be happy to have it, nonetheless. She said she'd meet us in the classroom."

"Gotcha," Ash said before looking to his left and spotting Zyon talking to a hooded figure. "Zyon?"

"...It's good to see you, old friend," he said to the hooded figure. "Life must've been treating you well."

 _"It has,"_ the figure said through telepathy, which Ash and Mallow picked up. _"We've been at peace everywhere we went. We haven't even ran into that evil human Giovanni ever since we ran into this 'Ash Ketchum' you mentioned."_

"Oh, so you know him too, huh?" The figure nodded to confirmed. "He may have had something to do with the fact that I haven't seen any of those Team Rocket bastards outside of Kanto. Lucky for them."

"Who's he talking too?" Mallow asked Ash.

"I don't know," Ash answered. "But it sounds like he's got a major grudge against Team Rocket. I don't think he's met Jessie, James, and Meowth, though." That's when they took notice of a pink, feline-like Pokémon with a long tail floating around the hooded figure and Zyon. The Pokémon looked and saw Ash and Mallow, revealing its big blue eyes. "It's Mew!"

"Mew?"

"Mew's a Legendary Pokémon listed in the Kanto and Johto PokéDexes. A Psychic-type, it can get pretty playful, especially when it's using its powers." As Ash explained it to Mallow, Mew gave him a wave to say 'hi'. Ash, Pikachu, and Mallow waved back before the Legendary went back to the conversation that Zyon and the hooded figure were having.

"It is awfully cute. It must know Zyon somehow."

"Maybe, but Mew's not the first Legendary I've seen. The first one was Ho-Oh, but that was when I was starting out. It couldn't be identified at the time."

"Awesome!"

* * *

After a while, the two of them got to the school. Because of how much the chest weighed, Ash and Mallow had to use a dolly to get it up the ramp. Mallow pulled while Ash pushed from behind. Ash continued to surprise Mallow everyday given his strength level. It was barely any trouble for him and Brock both to get the chest out of the sand. They entered the classroom and awaiting them were a dark-skinned boy with no shirt, shoulder tattoos, hair in a flame style, and shorts with his own Z-Ring on his left wrist with a red crystal; a chubby boy wearing a white T-shirt, messy orange hair, black shorts, sneakers, and a silver-and-white round rodent Pokémon with yellow electric sacs on its cheeks; a blonde-headed girl dressed in a white dress, white boots, and a white hat; and finally, a blue-haired girl with an ocean-patterned tank top, blue hakama, yelllow goggles, and a blue one-piece swimsuit underneath her clothes. "Ash! Mallow!" the blue-haired girl called out. "What took you so long?"

"And a big 'Alola' to you too, Lana," Mallow said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Sorry," said Ash. "I got hung up playing catch-up with some friends of mine. I even had a battle with one of them."

"Oh, Ash," said Lana. "You know I can't stay mad at you." She stood up on her feet and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek, much to Mallow's irritation. "Don't worry, Mallow. I was just worried, not angry. Now, let's see what's in this chest." Pikachu broke the lock with an Iron Tail, after which Ash and the dark-skinned boy opened the lid. In it was a bunch of gold, much to everyone's amazement.

"Who do you think had this buried?" asked the dark-skinned boy.

"I don't know, Kiawe," Ash said. "It could be some kind of pirate's treasure."

"That's absurd."

"Actually, Kiawe," the blonde-haired girl spoke up. "Ash's conclusion was closer than you think. A mysterious voyager from the Alola region found this among the wreckage of the lost cruise ship, the _St. Anne,_ which was destroyed by a mysterious storm. The voyager found the chest among the wreckage and brought it aboard his ship. After which, he and his most trusted crew members buried the treasure at Melemele Beachfront and went their separate ways, keeping a part of the secret with them."

"Ash, didn't you go on the _St. Anne_ with Misty and Brock?" Mallow asked.

"Yeah," Ash answered. "Team Rocket and their grunts tried to steal everyone's Pokémon, but my friends and I sent them flying out."

"Well, that would explain how the ship sunk," said the chubby kid, who got a glare from Ash.

"Naturally, the ones we didn't get rid of so easily were Jessie, James, and Meowth. After that, a Magikarp that James got swindled into buying evolved into Gyarados out of pure frustration at him and sent us to an island of giant, mechanical Pokémon."

"Must've been quite an adventure," Kiawe said.

"You have no idea." That's when Lana noticed two objects that looked familiar: Z-Crystals.

"Ash, can your Rotom PokéDex identify these?" she asked.

Rotom came down and scanned the Z-Crystals in Lana's hand. _"ALORAICHIUM Z AND PIKANIUM Z: BOTH POKEMON-SPECIFIC Z-CRYSTALS,"_ it said. _"THE ALORAICHIUM Z CONVERTS AN ALOLAN RAICHU'S THUNDERBOLT TO AN ATTACK CALLED 'STOKED SPARKSURFER' WHILE THE PIKANIUM Z CONVERTS A PIKACHU'S VOLT TACKLE TO AN ATTACK CALLED 'CATASTROPIKA'."_

"Thanks, Rotom." The PokéDex gave Lana a salute as a sign of 'Your Welcome' while Ash and Kiawe moved the chest to the corner of the room for her to take home. Naturally, she would ask for Ash's help in getting it to her house, which would mean more teasing from her sisters. As the students took their seats, Professor Kukui came in and took his spot in front of the class. However, before he started talking, Ash noticed the two Z-Crystals on his desk. He looked over to Lana, who gave him a wink, telling him that they were his to keep.

"Okay, class, I see you're all settled down. That's good," Kukui said. "Now then, let's get started with today's lesson, and it's a topic that Ash and Kiawe favor at the moment: Z-Moves." Before he could continue, though, an elderly man came into the classroom. He bore quite a resemblance to Professor Oak, except for the long hair, tan skin, khaki shorts, flip flops, and Wishiwashi-patterned shirt. "Principal Oak?"

"Sorry to inTYRUNT," he said, making his head look like a Tyrunt's. "But we have some new students here. I recommended them for your class because I knew you wouldn't make them DROWZEE." As he made his face look like a Drowzee's, Ash and the girls groaned at the bad puns.

"He has to run out soon," Mallow said.

"With as many Pokémon as there are, I doubt he will," said the blonde-haired girl.

"We're talking about the guy who gave a lecture on regional variants while dressed up as a Kanto region Exeggutor," Ash said. "Of course he's not going to run out." After that, some footsteps were heard as the new students walked in. Ash and Mallow looked up and were shocked. The three new students were none other than May, Dawn, and Zyon.

"Now, how about you introduce yourselves," Principal Oak said.

"Right," Dawn said, stepping up first. "My name's Dawn. I'm from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region. And this is my starter Pokémon Piplup."

"Piplup." After that, May walked up with a Poké Ball in her hand.

"I'm May," she said. "I come from Littleroot Town in Hoenn, but my dad is Norman, the Petalburg City Gym Leader." Ash smiled, remembering how tough his battle against Norman was. "And this is my starter, Blaziken!" The ball was thrown into the air before it opened up, revealing Blaziken to the class.

"Blaziken!"

"That's right," Mallow whispered to Ash. "She chose Torchic as her starter, didn't she?"

"Yeah," Ash said, neither one of them knowing that Professor Kukui was listening to the conversation. "Let me tell you, Blaziken's pretty tough. After Torchic evolved into Combusken, it became May's prime battler." After that, Zyon stepped up alongside Raichu, forcing Ash to have to restrain Pikachu.

"My name's Zyon," he said. "I've sort of been all over the place, but I'm originally from Hoenn. As you can see, Raichu's my only Pokémon that I keep out of it's Poké Ball, but he's not my starter. Mine's a bit on the big side."

"Well, we have to see it," said Kukui.

"I bet he's bluffing," the chubby kid said, snickering.

"Okay," Zyon said. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He then pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it outside the balcony, unleashing a black Charizard with red inner-wings.

"Ch-Charizard?"

"And it's a Shiny one too. That means that his starter was Charmander," Ash said. "He must've got it from Professor Oak on an earlier trip to Kanto."

"That's right, Ash," Zyon said, revealing that the two knew each other. "It was at some point before you and Gary got started on your journeys." May and Zyon returned their Starter Pokémon.

"Well, now that that's settled and you three apparently know Ash," Kukui said, getting Ash and Mallow to groan. "Why don't you take a seat behind him, Mallow, and Lana." They were about to do what Kukui said when Zyon was suddenly frozen in place. "Something wrong?" May and Dawn had a good look at the direction Zyon was staring at. In his sights was the blonde-haired girl. As the said girl was feeling uncomfortable, May was starting to get a bit ticked off. She grabbed Zyon by the arm and sat him down at a desk behind Mallow. As they walked by, Ash noticed the two bandannas on his old friend's arms. This alarmed him since he knew they belonged to May and Pikachu knew it. "Okay...that was something," said the Professor.

Ash noticed that the blonde girl was uncomfortable, so he reached his hand out to her shoulder, inadvertently making her jump a little. She looked back and saw Ash's kind smile, making her feel more relaxed. "That's just like Ash," Mallow said, getting Lana and Dawn to agree with her.

"If anyone can help Lillie relax, it's you and him," Lana added.

May noticed that Zyon was still in his shocked stupor. She tried snapping her fingers, but it didn't work. "Now how is he going to learn if he's this dumbstruck?" she asked. At this point, Samson went back to his office. Kukui wasn't going to say anything, wanting to see how this played out.

"Leave it to me," said Dawn, who got back up from her seat. "I know just what to do." May watched as Dawn walked over behind Ash, getting the attention of the others, especially Mallow. She put her hands on his shoulders, crossed her arms around his chest, bent down, and kissed Ash on the left cheek, making sure Zyon was watching. May was looking at her two friends in awe as Dawn kept her lips to Ash's cheek for a few seconds. Unfortunately, this earned her jealous glares from Mallow and Lana as well. Lillie wasn't sure what to think about it, not knowing if she had a crush on Ash or not. This also snapped Zyon out of his stupor, allowing him to see what was going on. "You know, I wanted to kiss your lips, Ash," she whispered in her best friend's ear. "But I figured that was for Mallow only."

The blue-haired coordinator turned her head to look at Zyon while still hugging Ash. He was out of his stupor and glaring at her, causing her to stick her tongue out at him and getting May to giggle. _'She's half-right,'_ Ash thought. _'It is for a different girl. Just not Mallow.'_ As he thought this, he looked at a picture he took with a certain honey blonde girl he journeyed with in Kalos, pictured with a pink fedora with a black band on it, short hair, a pink dress, red waistcoat, a gray shirt underneath the dress, a blue ribbon that he had given her, and, though they weren't shown since the picture was a selfie, brown calf-high boots. Ash was in a red hat with a different Poké Ball design on it, a blue zip-up shirt with white linings on it, gray-and-red gloves, and a gray shirt underneath the blue one. He had blue jeans and a pair of sneakers on as well, not shown in the picture. Lucky for Ash, Dawn didn't see the picture.

* * *

A while later, a small Pokémon that looked like a koala holding a log leaped backwards and rang the bell. This told the class that it was time to get home, or in Mallow's case, get to her family's restaurant. As Lillie went home in her limo and Kiawe flew on his Charizard to his home on Akala Island, Lana and the chubby kid, whom May, Dawn, and Zyon found out was named Sophocles from Ash, walked to their respective homes, leaving Ash with his old friends. "So, Ash," Zyon said, getting his friend's attention. "Professor Kukui said you could help us get up to speed on a lot of these Pokémon. The ones that look familiar." Before Ash could say anything, Dawn and May approached him with begging eyes.

"Well...I...uh..." the Kanto trainer stammered because of the girls. He knew Serena alone had this effect on him, but he didn't expect May and Dawn together to come close. He got himself together as Zyon glared at the three. "Okay, I will, but on one condition."

"And what's that?" May asked.

"We let Brock in on this as well. This is just in case he hasn't been in Alola for very long."

"Do you know where he's at?" Zyon asked.

"He's a Pokémon Doctor, so that should give you a clue."

"He must spend most of his free time giving the Nurse Joys their 'shots'," Dawn said, getting May to snicker. As they went to Hau'oli City's Pokémon Center, Lana and Popplio secretly followed them, not exactly trusting the three new students, especially Dawn.

* * *

At the Pokémon Center, the scene was relatively peaceful. The four classmates entered and looked around for Brock. Ash and Dawn spotted the former Gym Leader sipping a cup of coffee with a look that told them he had something on his mind. He saw Ash and the others approach him, minus Mallow and Kukui. "Hey, guys," he greeted. "What's up?"

"Not much," Ash said. "You look confused about something."

"Well, a lot of it is the fact that we've had some new-but-familiar Pokémon coming in. I don't know what makes them so familiar, though."

"That's why Ash brought us here," Dawn said. "He's been learning more about Alola's Pokémon." As she explained it, Ash brought a book out of his backpack, much to May and Brock's surprise. "Oh, don't have that look on your face, you guys. I saw him with that book in class today."

"Ash, you actually cracked open a book?"

"Very funny," Ash said, sarcasm clearly laced in his voice. "I mainly use this as a study guide about Alola's climate. As it turns out, some Pokémon from Kanto's original PokéDex are affected by it. Look here." Ash pointed to a picture of two rat-like Pokémon with brown and cream-colored fur. "That's what Rattata and Raticate look like in Alola. Their natural predators are Yungoos and Gumshoos. Alola's climate made them Normal/Dark-types, whereas the ones we've seen are just Normal-types."

"Interesting," Zyon said.

"Next up is Raichu. While Pichu and Pikachu aren't affected, Raichu is. If a Pikachu is in Alola long enough and they're exposed to a Thunder Stone, they evolve into the Alolan Raichu, which is an Electric/Psychic-type." They had a look at the picture and saw the Alolan Raichu, which had white paws, blue eyes, a rounded tail, rounded yellow ears, and Raichu's signature yellow sacs on its cheeks.

"Aww! That's so cute!" Dawn exclaimed, which May agreed with. "May, you should get a Pikachu while we're here. Besides Brock, you're the only one of us who doesn't have an Electric-type."

"W-What?" May asked in astonishment. "But what if I get one that has the same pride problems as Zyon's Raichu."

"You should have met Lt. Surge's Raichu," Brock said, chuckling. "He was so confident that he could beat Pikachu twice in a row, but Ash took advantage of a mistake on Surge's part."

"What was that?" Zyon asked. "It took my Raichu three tries to beat him."

"Surge evolved his Raichu too fast, which means that it couldn't learn the moves that it could as a Pikachu." As soon as that was mentioned, Raichu turned its head away in disgust, seeing that it took Ash and Pikachu two tries to beat Surge.

"Talk about sibling rivalry," Ash said, which got Dawn to nod in agreement since neither one had brothers or sisters. "Okay then, next up are Sandshrew and Sandslash, both of which are Ice-Types. Sandslash is also a Steel-type." They looked at the pictures and saw a light blue Sandshrew and Sandslash, the latter of which had its spikes sticking straight from its head and back.

* * *

By the time the sunset came, Ash had explained the different Alolan variants. He, Dawn, and Zyon had already established that Iris' favorite would be Exeggutor due to the fact that they're Dragon-types. They also knew her least favorite Pokémon overall would be the Alolan Ninetails, which is an Ice/Fairy-type, both of which are super effective against Dragon-types. They separated from Brock, who stayed at the Pokémon Center again, as May and Zyon went to check out the house that Kukui got them to stay in. Ash and Dawn, on the other hand, went to Kukui's house, which was where Ash was staying at. "So, Ash," she said. "Do you have a special someone in your life? Or was that the first kiss you've ever gotten?"

"Truth be told, I do have a special someone," he said.

"Is it Mallow? You two seem to be pretty close. In fact, I'm sorry if I strained you guys. I was just having a little fun."

"I'm very close to Mallow, but she wasn't my first kiss. Besides, you seem pretty close to Zyon as well."

"Is that right? Ash, I get angry with him more than I ever did with you. I have faith in both of you, but he can get a bit frustrating by thinking he's better than everyone else. We've kissed before, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to take it any further, like shedding our clothes off for...that kind of fun. Maybe I put more behind that kiss I gave you than I thought."

"It didn't mean I didn't enjoy it. Lana kissed me on the other cheek a while ago."

"Oh, so you got caught up in the harem game too, huh? In that case..." Ash looked at Dawn in shock as she wrapped her arms around him again and kissed and licked his neck. "Maybe we should be friends with benefits," she said.

"'Friends with benefits'?" Ash asked, confused about the term. "What's that?"

"Friends with benefits is a special type of relationship where two friends of the opposite sex will sleep together to fulfill a need for sex, but still stay as friends," she explained, wrapping her leg around his waist. "Since I got caught up in Zyon's harem as one of his gals, that's the best I can do for you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. But just so we don't get in trouble..."

"Oh right." Dawn got the idea and detached herself from him. As they stood and admired the sunset, she got a cheeky grin on her face. However, neither one of them realized that Lana was still spying on them. "You still haven't answered my question. Who was your first kiss?" It was at this point that Ash had to give in, knowing that Dawn was just going to pressure him.

"Okay, I guess the Litten's out of the bag. Her name is Serena. She's the Pokémon Performer whose Showcases you saw. She even did a video dressed up as her starter Fennekin along with Fennekin herself. The latter's a Braixen now. She's in Hoenn as a Pokémon Coordinator, just like you, May, and Zoey."

"Don't keep me in suspense, Ash. When and where did she kiss you?"

"She kissed me on the lips at the Lumiose Airport just before she left for Hoenn." This put Dawn in such a shock that she fell over. "Dawn?"

"Ash...I don't know who's luckier: you or her." Ash noted the shock and slight jealousy in her voice. This told him that it wasn't just flirting she was doing. They saw the sun going down and the moon coming up, making Dawn realize that she had no idea where her hut was. "Um...Professor Kukui wouldn't mind if I bunked with you, would he?" she asked.

"I don't think he would," he answered. "Don't be surprised, though, if he cracks a few jokes. He's done that with Mallow more than once." To Lana's chagrin, Ash led Dawn to Kukui's house. That's when she decided to head back to her own house, not hearing the 'friends with benefits' part and thinking they started a relationship as a couple.

* * *

 **!LEMON WARNING!**

At the cabin that was bought for May, Dawn, and Zyon, the Hoennites had a good look at the place. They felt that Kukui knew what he was doing when he got them a cabin. Three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Basically all the essentials they would need. They knew that they would have an empty room since Dawn was busy catching up with Ash. Still, even though Zyon was a little jealous, he knew that May needed to catch up with him as well. "Ah," May sighed out. "Comfy rooms, cozy furniture. I don't think Professor Kukui could've picked a better cabin."

"No kidding," he said. "Dawn doesn't know what she's missing out on. Still, with it just being the two of us..." He grabbed her from behind and kissed her cheek before moving down to her neck, making her moan. While he was doing that, he started groping her still-clothed breasts. May knew that she was going to have a good night's sleep, so she took her shirt off and turned around, wrapping her legs around Zyon's sides. He carried her to her room as they continued to undress. One could hear the moaning going on if there was anyone around. Zyon got May to scream out loud as they skipped the foreplay and he inserted his member into her pussy. She was a moaning mess as he also sucked on her breasts.

He started with the right one as he used his right hand to squeeze her left one. This amped up the volume as Raichu, who was in the living room, covered his ears and turned up the TV. Zyon switched breasts as he continued to pound into her, now squeezing her right breast and sucking on the left one. After a few minutes of that, he had May turn around and get on her hands and knees, keeping his member inside of her. He kept pounding into her as she kept moaning. "Oh yes! Oh yes!" she exclaimed, already having had three orgasms so far. "That's great! Oh keep it up!" To get her moaning with a fourth one, he spanked her ass.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed. "I'm close!"

"Cum in me, Zyon!" she commanded. He did just that and May came again, this time passing out. Zyon looked at the clock and saw that they were at it for an hour and fifteen minutes. Now he regretted skipping the foreplay since it would've made the moment last longer. Unfortunately, he just wanted to get to the sex sooner.

 **!LEMON END!**

He got redressed and joined Raichu in the living room, seeing his Electric-type mouse with a pillow over his ears. This told Zyon that he and May may have been a little too loud. "Sorry you had to hear that, Raichu," he said, getting a glare from him. "We normally keep it quieter."

"Rai!" Raichu said, still mad that they had to be a little too loud for him. He chuckled as Raichu went to the kitchen. The trainer sat down, got his cell phone out and decided to call a few old friends.

He hit the name of one contact on his list and switched it to video call. What popped up on his screen was a light-skinned girl with brown hair and green eyes. She wore a red shirt, yellow shoes, and blue jeans, though the latter two weren't shown. _"Hello?"_ she greeted before seeing who it was. _"Zyon, is that you? It's so good to hear from you again! How've you been?"_

"I've been fine, Zoe," he said. "How's that Bulbasaur of yours? I bet it's a real powerful Venusaur now, huh?"

 _"Oh yeah. Nice and healthy. So what's the occasion?"_

"I'm in the Alola region right now, so I was going to invite you and a few other friends of mine over here to have a beach party. I sort of ran into an old friend that Raichu and I lost against." The news shocked Zoe big time, especially since she saw Zyon as almost unbeatable.

 _"How did you lose?"_

"Well, Zoey, we kind of underestimated the power of his Pikachu. Get this: This friend of mine is the runner-up at the Kalos League, even though he's from Kanto, just like you."

 _"Wait, you're friends with Ash Ketchum? And you battled him?"_

"Yep. As it turns out, he and his Pikachu are the strongest opponents I've had in a while. Part of it's because Pikachu and Raichu are brothers, the former hating the latter due to his hatred of his evolved form."

 _"I see..."_ Zoey had a thoughtful look on her face before telling Zyon her answer to the invite. _"Okay, I'll head over there ASAP. I've been dying to get Ash's autograph for sometime now."_ This caused Zyon to fall over, seeing as this friend whom Ash hasn't met was very eager to meet him.

"That's just dandy, Zoe. I'll see you when you get here." They said their goodbyes and hung up. "Now, who to call next...I know! Iris!"

* * *

Back at Professor Kukui's house, Ash and Dawn were lying on his bed. As Ash had warned, Kukui did crack a few jokes about him going from school hero to school playboy, something that embarrassed him and Dawn both. Ash looked to his left and saw that she was asleep, considering it a pretty cute sight. Even though he was mainly loyal to Serena, he had to admit that Dawn had a certain type of beauty about her. He got out of bed and pulled the covers over her shoulder, noticing and smiling at the blush on her face. He signaled Pikachu to come along, as he wanted to try out the Pikanium Z Crystal that Lana gave him.

They got outside and away from the house so that Dawn and Professor Kukui couldn't hear them. Ash got a cell phone out that the Professor bought him. He was on Delia's plan, so he was in the clear. He went to a certain contact and pressed the 'VIDEO CALL' button to call her. On the screen was the very same honey blonde he thinks of day and night. _"Hello,"_ she greeted before seeing that it was Ash that called her, brightening her smile. _"Ash!"_

"Surprise," he said with a smile on his face. Pikachu jumped up on his shoulder and waved at her. "How've you been, Serena?"

 _"I'm doing great. I already have three ribbons. And I see Pikachu's doing well too."_

"Yep."

 _"By the way, Ash, where are you? Last I checked, your house was a white one, not brown."_

"I'm at the Alola region going to the Pokémon School."

 _"Hold on, Dear. Let me check something."_ Ash looked at Serena as she looked at the images of Alola based on what he told her. _"If I had to guess, I'd say you're outside of Hau'oli City."_

"Yeah. It's on Melemele Island. Originally, Mimey got us tickets here after winning a prize. I was so impressed with the School that I decided to stay and learn about Alola and its Pokémon. I'm even doing something called the Island Challenge."

 _"Ash, you are aware that Alola doesn't have Gyms, right? That also means that it doesn't have a Pokémon League."_

"I know. Professor Kukui told me."

 _"Then why go through with it?"_

"Because I figured it wouldn't hurt to try something out of my realm once in a while, including Pokémon Contests. That reminds me. And old friend of ours is here."

 _"Who?"_ Serena asked.

"Remember Zyon?"

 _"Yeah, I remember him. We talked until he set off on his journey."_ Serena could tell that it didn't set well with her boyfriend. _"You've got nothing to worry about, Ash. He and I are still just friends. Like I said, he stopped calling me when he started his journey."_

"That's good," he said. "I just get worried when it comes to you. Anyway, he's here, just in a different cabin. He even brought a couple of old traveling companions of mine with him, both Coordinators. May Maple from Littleroot Town in Hoenn and Dawn Berlitz from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh."

 _"Are either of them with you now?"_ Ash could see the suspicious look on his Kalos Queen's face, so he knew he had to tell the truth.

"Yeah. Dawn is. I even told her about you. May's with Zyon right now, so I haven't had the chance to reconnect with her yet. My old friend Brock's here too."

 _"The Pewter City Gym Leader? At least you have some good cooking, if he's anything like you told me."_

"Yeah, he is, but as a Pokémon Doctor, he keeps pretty busy. He may have competition, though. My friend Mallow happens to be the poster girl of the Aina Cafeteria as well as a great cook herself."

 _"Is that right? I wish I could try both of their cooking."_

"Well, why don't you?" Ash's question surprised Serena. "Why don't you come over here, Serena. I miss you, Babe."

 _"I miss you too, Ash."_ She then had a smile on her face, glad to see her best friend and lover again. _"I'll see you soon. Love_ _you, Ashy!"_

"I love you too, Serena!" After that, they hung up. Ash took Pikachu to the beach to try out the Pikanium Z Crystal. However, he knew that Pikachu would have to relearn a specific move that he used until the middle of their Unova journey. "Okay, Pikachu, let's see if we can't get your Volt Tackle back," he said. Pikachu balled up his fist and responded enthusiastically.

* * *

The sun rose up and Dawn awoke, only finding Piplup in the bed with her. She looked around for Ash and Pikachu, growing more concerned about them when she couldn't find them around the house. She then wondered something else. "I wonder if..." she said before she and Piplup headed outside, Rockruff on her heels. They approached the spot where she and Ash watched the sunrise and watched in wonder at the sight of Ash and Pikachu training. She saw Pikachu speed up and thought he was improving his Quick Attack. She was half-right, as confirmed by the electricity he cloaked himself in. "Pikachu's relearning his Volt Tackle? Does it have something to do with a Z-Crystal he just got? Or is he looking for more ways to use that Gigavolt Havoc?" she asked herself, remembering the display she saw that defeated Zyon's Raichu the other day.

"That's perfect, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, getting Pikachu to come back to his trainer. Ash brought his best friend into a hug, the latter alerting the trainer to Dawn's presence. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Did you get a good night's sleep last night?"

"Yeah, but I would've slept in if you were still in bed. You worried me."

"Pikachu and I were trying to get his Volt Tackle back so we can use one of the Z-Crystals that Lana gave me yesterday. It's one designed especially for him, but he needs Volt Tackle in his arsenal in order for us to use it. Rotom also told me that there's a special pose to do as opposed to the one associated with the Electtrium Z."

"So, how did you come across these Z-Crystals?"

"I'm doing something called the Island Challenge. So far, I beat the Totem Gumshoos for the Normalium Z and Melemele Island's Kahuna Hala for the Grand Trial. I was supposed to get the Fightinium Z, but Tapu Koko switched it with the Electrium Z, which means that it wanted Pikachu at the top of his game."

"That's nice of him." Dawn then looked at her Pokétch and saw the time. She grabbed Ash by the wrist and drug him back to the house. "C'mon, we have to get ready for school! I don't think Professor Kukui and Principal Oak would appreciate us being late!"

"Right!"

* * *

After a while, the two of them made it to the school in time. In fact, they made it to the classroom before almost everyone else. The only one who beat them there was Lana. They gave her the traditional greeting, but she didn't respond. She wouldn't even look at Ash at all. Ash and Dawn sat around her, but she only looked away from them. "Lana?" he asked. "Lana, what's wrong?" Still no response. "Look, I'm here to help you if something's wrong."

"I'll only tell if it's just the two of us," she finally said. "No one else." This gave Dawn the cue to leave them to their private chat. "Ash, I followed you two to the Professor's house." The revelation shocked Ash, but he let her continue. "I saw the two of you having an intimate moment. Did you think you could break the bed and not think that I knew?"

"Lana, in my defense, I didn't even know you were there in the first place. But Dawn and I didn't get intimate at the house. We kept our clothes on. As a matter of fact, Pikachu and I spent all night training last night." She looked at him and saw the truth in his eyes. "You have to believe me. Dawn and I are just friends." She was hesitant due to what she saw, but complied, her crush on Ash taking her reason over.

"Then I guess you and I have to get cozy sometime," she said, raising her head up and slightly smiling.

"I'm afraid you might have to wait in line, Lana," Mallow said, coming into the classroom. "The first one to get him should be his lady friend from Kalos." Dawn and the others followed in. After that, Zyon and May entered. May, being the first of Ash's students, noticed that Ash looked just a little bit tired, but decided to ask him about it later.

"I got great news, guys," Zyon said, getting the attention of the others. "I called several of my old friends, including a couple of cousins of mine, and they're coming down here for a beach party in a couple of weeks."

"One of those better not be Iris..." Ash groaned out.

"As a matter of fact, it is. What's the deal with you two anyway?"

"I thought Dawn already told you. She and I argued so much that just bringing her up can give me a bit of a headache."

 _'I've known you for a long time, Ash,'_ May thought. _'I know that Iris isn't the reason you're tired.'_

"Anyway, she's one of the people I invited," Zyon said, not paying any mind to Ash's condition. In fact, the only ones who noticed were May, Mallow, Lana, Lillie, and Kiawe. However, Dawn knew the reason why. "I'll let her know not to make your life a living hell while she's here."

"Gee, thanks." They heard the sound of engines running outside, so they looked out the balcony and saw some faces that Ash, Kiawe, and Mallow have noticed before. "Team Skull? What are they thinking, riding their bikes on the campus itself?"

"They're mindless punks," Kiawe said, reminding Ash about their attitude. "Nothing but vandalism and disturbing the peace. C'mon, guys." They nodded and followed their friend from Akala Island down to the ground level.

* * *

They got there and confronted the grunts. "...C'mon, don't be shy," said the leader of the pack. "All we want is that Kanto region Raichu!"

"Yeah, just like my bro said!" said the chubby one. Ash and the others got there and were surprised that it was the same group that Ash and Mallow dealt with on the former's first day in the region. "Uh-oh!"

"Oh boy!" the skinny one said. "Perfect timing, Ketchum! We've been wanting our revenge on you for quite some time!"

"I take it you know these guys?" Dawn asked, getting a nod from Ash.

"They're Team Skull," Ash explained. "A bunch of wannabe gangsters who have nothing better to do than to torment trainers into a Pokémon battle. Stay back." Dawn nodded, knowing that Ash was concerned for everyone's safety.

"We don't want any trouble, Ketchum!" the skinny grunt said. "Just hand over that Raichu you've got over there!"

"And maybe that Pikachu while you're at it!" shouted the female grunt.

"I'm afraid you're not going to get either of them!" a familiar voice exclaimed. The gang turned and saw a surprise on their side.

"It's Brock!" exclaimed Ash, May, Dawn, Mallow, and Zyon.

"You guys should know not to mess with an entire school of Pokémon Trainers, especially when about two or three of them have beaten you multiple times. Now leave, before I get angry."

"This guy looks easy enough," said the skinny grunt. "I think I'll take him on." Ash, May, and Dawn let out a smirk, knowing full well that Brock was no pushover. "Go, Salandit!" the grunt exclaimed, throwing a Poké Ball and releasing a lizard-like Pokémon with black scales, purple streaks, and fiery points on its tail. Now, it was Brock's turn.

"Toxicroak, you're up!" he exclaimed, unleashing a deadlier version of Croagunk with a clawed knuckle on each fist. Toxicroak also had a large poison sac under its chin rather than two small ones on its cheek, as well as a sharp point on its head.

"Hey, it looks like Croagunk evolved!" Ash exclaimed with an excited grin on his face, mirrored by Dawn.

 _"TOXICROAK, THE TOXIC MOUTH POKEMON AND THE EVOLVED FORM OF CROAGUNK, A POISON/FIGHTING-TYPE,"_ said Rotom. _"TOXICROAK'S CROAKING IS A TELLTALE SIGN THAT IT IS STIRRING THE TOXINS WITHIN ITS SAC FOR BETTER POTENCY."_

"Poison against Poison? You must not be that bright. That Pokémon won't be able to poison my Salandit."

"That's actually the plan. You're right in knowing that Toxicroak is a Poison-type. It's also a Fighting-type, though, or did you not hear the PokéDex?" Brock said, surprising the Skull grunts. "First move's mine! Toxicroak, Earthquake!" With that order, Toxicroak jumped up in the air, had its stinger glow a bright blue, and slammed its fist into the ground, splitting it as it reached Salandit. Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, Lillie, Sophocles, May, and Zyon were shocked at the sheer power of the attack as it sent Salandit flying for a super effective hit. Ash and Dawn, on the other hand, were impressed about Toxicroak's power since the last time they saw Brock.

"Salandit, Flare Blitz!" The lizard fired small flames from its tail at Toxicroak, who jumped up and dodged at Brock's order. "Salandit, Smokescreen!" Salandit landed and covered the battlefield with a black cloud of smoke. "Now what are you going to do, tough guy?"

"Toxicroak's tough, but it won't be able to hit Salandit if it can't see it," Kiawe said.

"Don't worry," Ash said. "He may have been a Rock-type Gym Leader, but he's been training Toxicroak since he caught it at Sinnoh. Sudowoodo's a Rock-type and Blissey's a Normal-type, so Toxicroak's his best bet."

"It's a safe bet to go on, Ash," Zyon said, smiling at how intelligent Ash has gotten, feeling that traveling with Brock in so many regions helped out.

"Toxicroak, Earthquake!" Brock ordered. Toxicroak did another one and cleared the Smokescreen, sending Salandit flying again. "Okay, Toxicroak, let's finish this with Rock Smash!" The Toxic Mouth Pokémon jumped up and did as Brock ordered. It got to Salandit's level in the sky and energized its stinger. It then connected with Salandit and sent it down, knocking it out.

"Salandit!" the grunt exclaimed as he returned his Pokémon to its Poké Ball. "You'll pay for this, pal!" After that, he and his group rode off on their motorcycles.

Brock smiled as he returned Toxicroak to its Poké Ball and turned to the others. "Brock, that was awesome!" Ash, May, and Dawn exclaimed.

"Thanks. You guys weren't the only ones training, you know," said the winner of the battle. "When I get the chance, I do a little on the side to avoid the rust."

"But what are you doing here, Brock?" Ash asked as the others looked towards the older trainer.

"Easy. Professor Kukui and Principal Oak invited me. I'm teaching today's class." This revelation shocked the ones that knew Brock already, with only Ash, May, and Dawn knowing what was in store.

CHAPTER 2 END

* * *

 **Okay, so now that this is done, I'll get started on the next chapter when we come up with a general idea. All I know is that Zyon's bonding with Dawn and May will attempt to reconnect with Ash. Also, I'll let you know when a lemon's going to be in a chapter ahead of time. See you next chapter!**


	3. May's New Catch!

**Okay, guys, I got a message regarding the whole 'Serena being Ash's first kiss' thing, so let me enlighten you on something here. His first kiss may have come from Melody at Shamuti Island and he may have been kissed by Latias/Bianca from Alto Mare, but keep one thing in mind: Those are in the movies and most of the time, I don't consider the movies canon. I may include some elements, but not everything.**

* * *

 **May's New Catch!**

At the classroom, Ash and the others were sitting through Brock's lesson. It was mainly about caring for Pokémon, something Lillie knew she needed to know. She was a smart girl and she knew what to do, but there was always something she knew she could learn. There were three students who weren't paying attention, however: Zyon, due to still falling for Lillie; Ash, due to sleep about to take him and Pikachu over; and May, due to being concerned about Ash. She hated seeing him like this, especially now that she has seen him for the first time since the Wallace Cup.

She knew Dawn had taken the time to bond with him the previous night while she fooled around with Zyon, so now it was her turn to bond with Ash. She knew that he had better wake up for two reasons: One was that she was hoping he could help her catch and raise an Electric-type Pokémon, and the other was that Brock could notice at any moment. Sure enough, the latter happened. Brock and Dawn weren't too surprised; Ash did this at Professor Rowan's Summer Camp with Angie. However, because Brock was teaching the class, Mallow, Lana, May and Dawn's faces turned pale at what Brock could do if Ash and Pikachu didn't wake up. Sophocles, Kiawe, and Lillie took no notice on what was going on. "Okay then," said Brock. He was about to ask Dawn to try to wake him up, but Togedemaru looked like she couldn't hold her energy in anymore. "Togedemaru?"

"Uh-oh," Sophocles warned. Brock was about to ask why, but the Electric/Steel-type rodent answered for him. She started bouncing around the classroom, even hitting the substitute teacher and Raichu, the latter of which was sleeping in the corner. Raichu just stayed asleep, though. She was headed for Lillie, but Lana pulled her out of the way, knowing of a little quirk she had, but Zyon was unaware of. The next several to be hit in order were Kiawe, Sophocles, Mallow, Dawn, May, Rotom, Zyon, Popplio, Bounsweet, Piplup, and finally, Ash and Pikachu, consequently waking them up. The two of them grew frustrated enough at the little ball of energy that Pikachu jumped up and grabbed her to calm her down.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, trying to get Togedemaru to settle down. Unfortunately, she rubbed up against him affectionately, much to his dismay.

"Welcome back to the world of the awake," Mallow said to Ash, who scratched the back of his head in a cheeky manner.

"Does that always happen?" Zyon asked.

"Yeah," answered Sophocles. "Togedemaru's a little ball of energy that occasionally gets these uncontrollable bursts. When that happens, Pikachu's the only one who can catch her."

"I see."

* * *

A while later, Ash was catching up on the notes he was supposed to be taking while Brock was doing his lecture. Lucky for him, May, and Zyon, the Rotom PokéDex caught them up. Unlike when it was trying to teach Ash how to cook, Rotom took its time, making sure they knew what was going on. They finally got done with that, so May figured that now would be a good time to start hanging out with Ash. Before she could, though, Zyon pulled him away from the group. "What's up, Zyon?" Ash asked.

"What's up is the beauty in the sun hat," said Zyon. This let Ash know of the reason why his old friend wasn't paying attention inin class (and why Dawn did her little bit of flirting with Ash the previous day). "What all do you know about her?"

"Let me guess: You want to know what to do so you don't screw up when it comes to her, right?" Zyon nodded. "Her name is Lillie. She doesn't have a Pokémon of her own, but she looks after the other ones, including Togedemaru, Popplio, and Bounsweet, when their trainers are doing activities such as racing Tauros. However, she's got a little quirk about her."

"Oh? Does it have something to do with the fact that she looks so delicate?"

"It depends on how you look at it. I can admit that Lillie's very attractive, but what I'm talking about is something that's a bit of a touchy subject for her." Zyon listened closely as Ash explained. "One time, after spending time at her mother's summer house, she came back, but was afraid to touch a Pokémon. In fact, she still is."

"But why? What made her so afraid of Pokémon?"

"I don't know. She doesn't even know. Mallow and I have been trying to help her out, but we have to take it step by step. You see that egg over there? The white one with the flower patterns?" Zyon looked by Lillie and saw the egg that Ash was talking about. "She's been assigned to take care of that, specifically by Mallow since she feels that it would help her get over this fear."

"That's actually a good idea. It looks like she can touch the egg."

"That's actually the easy part. Next comes the Pokémon inside. If Mallow's right and she is able to touch it, then we're a large step closer. My biggest worry is how the two will get along. Oh, that reminds me."

"What is it?" He then saw Ash pull out a fancy looking Poké Ball. It was black with red and gold on the lining. The ball was covered in diamonds as well. It was a Luxury Ball. "You've been saving up, haven't you?" Zyon asked with a smile.

"Don't tell anyone, but I plan on getting a special Poké Ball for Mallow as well. It's just not going to be a Luxury Ball."

"What about your other lady friends? You know, May, Dawn, and Lana?"

"I got May and Dawn covered a long time ago," Ash said with a smirk as he went to give Lillie her Luxury Ball. Little did Zyon know, the trainer from Kanto got a second Luxury Ball as well, but designated it for a special Pokémon Performer/Coordinator. Lillie merely hugged Ash while Pikachu got away, remembering Lillie's fear. Unlike Lana and Dawn, though, she didn't kiss him, still not sure if she had a crush on him.

"That Ash is really something," Zyon said to himself as Ash gave Dawn some more stickers for decorating her capsules, and Lana a Net Ball, getting kisses from both of the bluenettes. Seeing Dawn kiss Ash on the cheek made him glare again, but he felt that it was merely friendly flirting, unaware of the friends with benefits arrangement between them. Brock, on the other hand, was trying to keep his cool, still jealous of his best friend getting more girls than he did.

"Here, May," Ash said, pulling May's present out of his bag. "I got this for you too." May gasped in surprise that Ash got her a gift he knew she'd want. It was a stuffed Munchlax. May gave her mentor a very tight hug. Mallow was a bit angry that she felt left out, but she knew Ash well enough to know that he probably had something in store for her as well.

"This is great, Ash," May said, blushing a little bit. "Thank you so much!" Ash simply smiled as May let go. She looked like she had something on her mind. Ash was about to ask her what, but she spoke up before he could. "Um...do you think you can help me with something?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Well, I...Remember yesterday when Dawn suggested that I catch an Electric-type Pokémon?" As nodded in the affirmative. "I was wondering if you could help me out in trying to catch one...if that's alright with you."

"Sure thing. No problem."

"Well, now that that's settled, I've got a present for May, Dawn, and Lillie myself," Zyon said. Seemingly from out of nowhere, he pulled out three Poké Balls that were purple on the top, had pink on the sides, and a letter 'M' in the center. "These are Master Balls, you guys. Guaranteed to catch any Pokémon without fail." Lillie looked at it and decided that she liked both gifts, even if she still hadn't warmed up to Zyon just yet. May and Dawn, on the other hand, were more appreciative of Ash's gifts since they've seen what the Master Ball looked like.

"It looks like there's one on your necklace as well," Kiawe pointed out. Zyon smiled and revealed his necklace to the others. It had two Master Balls, an Ultra Ball, and a Great Ball on the string. One of them popped out as Samson came into the classroom. "What is that?"

"It's Mew," Ash said. Zyon noted that his old friend wasn't surprised, so he figured that he had seen her before. Ash and Mallow walked over to the balcony away from the others so he could let his scout out. He opened a Poké Ball and a green, owl-like Pokémon came out. "Okay, Rowlet, do you see that Pokémon over there?" Rowlet looked and hooted to Ash when it saw Mew. "Good. Usually, when she's around, this guy is too." Ash showed Rowlet a picture of a Pokémon that looked like Mew. The difference was that it was larger, had enlarged fingers on each hand, and had purple on its stomach and tail. Now that Rowlet knew what it was looking for, it flew up to look for Mew's partner-in-crime.

"Why did you send Rowlet to scout around?" Mallow asked.

"Because wherever Mew's at, Mewtwo's usually not too far off." They looked and saw that Mew was getting a closer look at everybody. She flew towards Ash and instantly remembered him. She showed her affection and nostalgia by laying on top of his head. She got off and floated around Mallow before pushing her into Ash's arms as a joke. She then floated back to the group to check out the one person she hasn't inspected yet: Lillie. Mew kept floating around Lillie until she decided she liked her. The Psychic-type nuzzled her cheek against the student's, inadvertently freezing her in fear.

"That's right," Sophocles said. "Lillie can't touch Pokémon."

"I can too!" she exclaimed in a dignified manner.

"And yet even a Jigglypuff would give you nightmares," said Lana, causing Lillie to bow her head in embarrassment.

"In hindsight, Mew," Ash said. "That probably wasn't the best idea."

"But how on Earth did you catch Mew?" Samson asked, still shocked at seeing the little Legendary. "My father's been trying to find it for years."

"Did he ever find one, Principal?" Mallow asked.

"No. He always wound up GROUDONed." Ash and the others merely groaned at the bad joke as usual.

* * *

After school, Kiawe, Lana, and Sophocles went home. Zyon went after Lillie with the full intention of hooking up with her. "Okay, May, let's get you that Electric-type Pokémon," Ash said, Pikachu chirping in excitement. May nodded in agreement. Dawn tried unsuccessfully to stop them, but they went into the woods before she could.

"But...what about me?" she asked, dejected that her two best friends went off together.

"Don't worry," Mallow said. "I may have something for you to do." Dawn looked at the waitress and wondered what she was up to. Before Ash and May got to the woods, though, they, along with Mallow and Dawn, noticed the same hooded figure on the roof where Komala rings the bell. It noticed that it was spotted and teleported away. "What was that?"

"Mewtwo," Ash said. "Not a doubt in my mind." They saw Rowlet fly back to its trainer, holding a bunch of grapes in its feet. Ash and May chuckled at its gift. "Well, at least we have a light snack."

May got her PokéDex out to get the info on Rowlet. "ROWLET, THE GRASS QUILL POKÉMON, A GRASS/FLYING-TYPE. ROWLET USES ITS KEEN EYES TO SCOUT FOR FOOD. AS THE ALOLA REGION'S GRASS STARTER, IT'S OFTEN RELAXED IN NATURE."

"Rowlet looks so cute," said May. Rowlet hooted as May petted its head.

"Yeah, well I think this one's a little too relaxed," Ash said. He gave Rowlet and Pikachu both a grape and returned the former to its Poké Ball.

"Say, you weren't using Rowlet to find Mewtwo, were you?" Ash's cheeky grin told her the answer. "That's okay. At times, Mewtwo can be hard to find. You of all people know this, Ash, so it's a good thing you did."

"You mean you're not mad?"

"Nope. Can't say the same about Zyon, though...That is, if he noticed Rowlet at all. He's been lovestruck with Lillie ever since he laid eyes on her."

* * *

Meanwhile, a familiar group of villains were exploring the forests. The group consisted of a blue-haired man and a red-haired woman. They both wore a white uniform with a red 'R' on the shirt, grey boots, grey gloves, and a grey undershirt. The woman's navel was exposed. They were accompanied by a Kanto region Meowth that walked and talked like a human, a Wobbuffet, and what looked like an odd-looking Pikachu with a crudely drawn face and crooked ears. Between the uniforms and the fact that they were constantly after Ash's Pikachu, they were obviously part of Team Rocket, the humans being Jessie and James. "Man, looking for more Pokémon for da boss is tough work," said Meowth.

"That's a friendly way of putting it," James said.

"At least we don't have to deal with Cassidy and Biff," Jessie said before her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

 _"For the umpteenth time, it's BUTCH!"_ an annoyed voice shouted before hanging up.

"Well that was rude."

"At least you got one thing right," James said. "We're the only Team Rocket agents in all of Alola."

"Yep," said Meowth. "And dat increases our chances of success."

"Don't tell me you forgot who's going to school here, Meowth."

"Jessie's right," James pointed out. "Even here, we've been dealing with that twerp and his Pikachu. We only beat him once, but Bewear snagged us up when it thought we were in trouble."

"Oh yeah, I forgot." They looked and saw a female Pikachu sniffing flowers. Her tail was shaped like a heart and she had a flower in her ear. "A Pikachu!"

"And she looks so cute!" Jessie exclaimed, inadvertently alerting the Pikachu to their presence. "Time for me to catch it." Jessie saw that her Pokémon was ready as usual, displaying a hatred for Pikachu. "It looks like Mimikyu has ulterior motives." The Pikachu took off running, knowing she couldn't beat Mimikyu if she tried.

* * *

With Ash and May, the latter was trying her hardest to find an Electric-type Pokémon like she had planned. Ash knew that there was a Bug-type that gained the Electric-type as it evolved. In fact, they came across this particular kind of Pokémon multiple times, with May unable to catch one. Each time she tried, the Pokémon, which had a peach-and-orange body with orange pincers on its face, got away. This was really irritating the Coordinator, especially since she easily caught a Bug-type before, as seen with Beautifly. May tried another one, but once again, it escaped and got away, bringing the poor girl to tears. "Hey, it's okay, May," Ash said, trying to comfort his friend. She burrowed her head in his chest and let it out, mainly because Zyon wasn't around, but also because she knew Ash always provided a shoulder to lean on.

"Ash, I don't know what I'm doing wrong," she said, staining Ash's shirt with her tears. "Please, tell me what I'm doing wrong?" After that, they heard their stomachs growling. That's when May realized what she was doing. She leaped away and turned her face away from Ash so he wouldn't see her blushing.

"You're not doing anything wrong, May. I'll see if I can think of something over something to eat. My treat." May agreed, still blushing after the hugging incident. She and Ash both knew that they ate all the grapes in the bunch that Rowlet brought them. They got a seat at the Aina Cafeteria, Mallow's family's restaurant, where they were waiting for their food as Ash was thinking about what May was doing. "Thinking about it, May, you're doing everything right. Munchlax is in top form as usual, so if you are making a mistake, I can't see it."

"Thank you, Ash," May said, still sad, but happy that he couldn't find any mistakes that she was making. Ash saw the sad look on her face, so he got a beach towel out of his bag and wrapped it on her shoulders as a way to comfort her.

"Well, isn't that sweet," Mallow said as she and another familiar face came with the orders. Ash and May were shocked to see that the cook had put Dawn to work. "Two cheeseburger plates with extra fries, two Pika-Colas..."

"And one chocolate shake," Dawn added. Ash and May noticed that there were four straws in the shake. They looked at Mallow and Dawn, seeing the smiles on both of their faces. They looked at their food and saw how good it looked. "You guys might want some extra napkins. I can see drool sliding down your chin." To Dawn's surprise, Ash and May didn't bother to retort, instead scarfing down their food like there was no tomorrow. Ash tossed a fry into the air, which May caught in her mouth. As Dawn and Mallow looked in a shocked stupor, May returned the favor. The two waitresses looked and saw the plates empty. They saw Ash and May leaning back, obviously enjoying having their stomachs full. "Ashy," Dawn said, a flirtatious smile coming to her face. "You better get with Serena and Mallow soon, especially if they enjoy cooking for you that much."

"Who's Serena?" asked May.

"Oh, no one you have to worry about. She's just his girlfriend."

"Then who's trying to steal who? Are you trying to steal Ash, or is he trying to steal you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mallow and Dawn sat at a different side of the table and grabbed a straw on the shake, letting Ash and May know what the four straws were for. They got the other two straws as the four of them slurped down the milkshake. Ash, naturally, enjoyed the milkshake. Amazingly enough, he could tell that Dawn made the shake, not Mallow. "And besides, from the looks of things, you look like you're letting him steal you from Zyon as well."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Mallow said as May blushed. "Between Ash's looks and the fact that Zyon's been love struck with Lillie since laying eyes on her, Ash could very well have five girls in his harem."

"Let's see..." May began, counting on her hand. "Me if I leave Zyon, Dawn if she leaves Zyon before sleeping with him, Mallow, Serena...I only count four."

"Number five would be Lana," Mallow said. "Her crush on Ash is more than obvious. You have no idea how many times she's kissed him on the cheek."

"Yeah, well I don't know about Dawn, but I have no plans on leaving Zyon."

"He's going after Lillie now, so Ash may score," Dawn said with a sly look on her face. She and Mallow walked towards either side of Ash, sat on his lap, and kissed each side of his face, Dawn on the right and Mallow on the left. They got up and headed back to the kitchen, giving each other a high five while Ash and May weren't looking.

"I'm starting to think Dawn really does have a crush on you," May said to Ash.

"Then that would make four," Ash said in response. "Okay, now that that's over with, what kind of Pokémon are you looking for again?"

"W-Well, I was looking for an Electric-type Pokémon like you and Dawn have. Apparently, I'm not meant to have one."

"Maybe Grubbin's not the best option for either of us to have. It _evolves_ into an Electric-type. It's evolved form is Charjabug, which is a Bug/Electric-type. After that, if you train Charjabug at an area with a large amount of electromagnetism, it evolves into Vikavolt, similar to how Nosepass evolves into Probopass and Magneton evolves into Magnezone. I learned about this method while Brock and I traveled with Dawn in Sinnoh."

"Interesting. Can I change the subject?"

"Sure."

"About Z-Crystals...how many do you have?"

"I've got four: Electrium Z, Normalium Z, Pikanium Z, and Aloraichium Z."

"And how many can you use?"

"I can only use three. The only one I can't use is the Aloraichium Z because we only meet one of the requirements. In fact, Pikachu doesn't want to meet the other one. In order for us to use the Aloraichum Z, the Pokémon in question has to be an Alolan Raichu. That Raichu also has to know Thunderbolt. Pikachu meets the Thunderbolt requirement; in fact, it's his signature move. However, you, Dawn, and Misty know too well that Pikachu doesn't want to evolve. He's always willing to prove he could beat a Raichu, no matter which one it is."

"So I've been going about this all wrong?" May asked. "I thought you said I wasn't making any mistakes."

"I thought you weren't until you told me what you were looking for. C'mon, May. Let's get you a Pikachu." She and Ash shared a friendly smile as they exited the restaurant, not knowing that Mallow and Dawn were watching. "By the way, Iris has an Emolga and you've met Sophocles' Togedemaru."

"I still want a Pikachu."

* * *

Meanwhile, as Lillie was shopping at Hau'oli's Shopping District, she had no idea that Zyon was following her. She was getting a funny feeling that someone was, though. The blonde girl went into the mall and headed to the clothing store. As she looked at the clothes, Zyon was trying to think about how he was going to approach her. With May and Dawn, it was easy. All he had to do was ask if they could use some company on their journeys and they said yes. He figured from the freaking out that he saw from her interactions with Mew that she wasn't going to be so easy to approach. His contemplating was interrupted when Mew flew over to the hats...which was where Lillie was. Since she was near the men's hats, he assumed that she was looking for a present for one of her male friends. He grew a little dejected when he came to the conclusion that that friend was Ash.

Lillie pulled her hat off and tried on a red fedora with a Poké Ball symbol on it. "I'm sure Ash would like this. Now I have to look for something for Zyon," she said before Mew appeared in the mirror. She let out a frightened shriek as she saw Mew with a checker-patterned fedora on her head.

"Mew! Shame on you!" Zyon scolded before seeing Lillie, who looked mad. "Uh...hi, Lillie." _'She looks cute when she's mad,'_ he thought.

"Were you following me this whole time?" Zyon's nervous grin gave her the answer she was looking for. "Get outside. Now." Now he could tell that Lillie was serious, so he grabbed Mew, put the fedora back, and walked outside with her and Raichu. She paid for Ash's fedora and a gift she got for Zyon, Mew, and Raichu and walked outside of the store. She saw Zyon sitting on the bench with Mew and Raichu. Balling up her fist, she approached the three of them. "Let me give you a little heads-up, Zyon: Just because you got me a Master Ball doesn't give you the right to follow me everywhere I go. I need alone time, you know," she scolded, causing Zyon to hang his head in shame. "This is for you guys. Now I have to get this one to Ash." She shoved a bag into Zyon's arms and walked away.

"She likes me." Raichu did a facepalm at the comment as Zyon was looking through the bag. He pulled out the same checkered fedora that Mew had on, which the Psychic-type put on her head. Next, he pulled out a Hawaiian-pattern shirt that was in Raichu's size. Zyon even felt the material and found it to be an electricity-proof material that still didn't affect his attacks, nor was torn by them. Raichu tried it on and found it to be his size. "How are you liking it, Raichu?" he asked.

"Raichu!" Raichu exclaimed happily, satisfied that it was comfortable. Zyon chuckled a little bit before noticing some Team Skull grunts that Lillie, in her frustration, walked by without noticing. Zyon sensed another familiar presence around.

 _'Keep an eye on Lillie. Make sure nothing bad happens to her,'_ he said, telepathically speaking to the said figure. He then saw the silhouette of the figure he spoke to as the Skull Grunts went out the door after she got a good distance from them. He then checked out his gift he got from Lillie, which was a pair of khaki cargo shorts, a Hawaiian shirt that matched Raichu's, and a pair of sunglasses. "Am I going to class or on vacation?" He then remembered that even Ash, who usually wore jeans when he wasn't at Professor Oak's Summer Camp, was wearing shorts, so he was the only one in jeans. "Okay, so she's made her point."

* * *

Back with Ash and May, they were still looking for May a Pikachu of her own. Now she had renewed vigor since she knew she could rely on Ash when it came to helping her search. However, while the chances of finding a Pikachu had increased due to their environment, one was still difficult to find other than Ash's own. Ash then remembered an old method he used to use as a kid, so as crude as it was, he poured Pokémon food that Lillie had given him into a bowl and put it out into the open. The food was made with Pikachu in mind, Lillie using Ash's Pikachu as the study subject. "Are you sure this is going to work, Ash?" May asked as the three of them hid in the bushes.

"Of course," Ash answered. "Lillie made this food. It's gotta work."

"Mention her name again and I'll tackle you to claim what you've been saving for Serena." Ash gulped and covered his mouth, knowing she was talking about having angry sex with him. They heard some rustling going on, thinking that a Pikachu was coming. They were wrong. Instead, they saw four familiar faces plus Mimikyu. "It's Team Rocket!" She then saw the only one she wasn't familiar with. "Who's that Pokémon?"

"That's Mimikyu," Ash explained. "It's Jessie's newest addition. It's got a strong hatred for Pikachu that apparently can't be quelled. That's why it disguises itself at one."

"It's a very ugly disguise."

"Now where did that Pikachu go?" Jessie asked, frustrated and unknowingly letting Ash and May know what they were looking for. Pikachu was already frustrated at seeing Mimikyu, but to hear a Team Rocket agent they've been dealing with for a long time even mention his species' name wasn't going to fly with him. The Electric-type Mouse Pokémon jumped out to face them, joined by Ash and May. "It's the twerp!"

"And he's with one of the past twerpettes!" James pointed out. Mimikyu launched a Shadow Ball at Pikachu, but Ash was ready.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" he exclaimed. Pikachu used his Iron Tail to deflect Mimikyu's attack back at it.

"Allow me," James said before grabbing a Poké Ball. He tossed it, releasing a squid-like Pokémon with a purple body, green tentacles, and yellow eyes. It jumped on James and covered his head until he was poisoned and looking like it. He quickly shook it off and got ready. "Okay, Mareanie, I need you to use Mud Shot to cause a dust storm." Mareanie did as told and The dust cleared and Team Rocket was gone.

Ash looked around for a sneak attack, but after a while, he and Pikachu found none. "Damn it. They got away."

"They've gotten good."

"With those two, yeah. Remember that they used to have Arbok and Weezing and they were pretty tough."

"True."

* * *

Back with Zyon, the sun was setting. He was still trying to figure out a way to get together with Lillie. He tried following her to ask her on a date, but she indirectly rejected him. Still, he was appreciative of the gift she got for him, as were Mew and Raichu. However, even with who he sent to keep an eye on her, he still couldn't help but be worried about her. As he was rehearsing a line that he had prepared to ask her, Raichu was pondering what his trainer was up to. "...'Hey, Lillie. I really like you. Would you like to go on a date sometime?'...No, that won't work..." he said. "...'Hey, Lillie. I'm very sorry about following you. Could I make it up to you with a dinner date?'...No, too cheesy..."

"Zyon!" a familiar voice shouted. He turned around and saw Dawn running towards him. "Zyon, I need your help!"

"Dawn, can't you see I'm busy?"

"It doesn't look like it."

"I'm trying to find the right way to speak to that blonde-haired girl in our class, so whatever your dilemma is, I'm sure it can wait."

"Will you quit thinking about how you're going to get Lillie out of her dress for five minutes!?" Dawn's outburst shocked Zyon, forgetting how scary she could get when she was mad. "Ash and May have been gone a long time! I'm worried about them! But, if you put a girl you just met over your favorite girl and your childhood friend..."

"Okay, okay," Zyon said, not wanting to face Dawn's wrath anytime soon. Raichu chuckled as Zyon put two fingers on each side of his head. He was searching for a Pokémon to check up on them with. However, since he knew that May didn't keep one outside of its Poké Ball, the only option was Ash's Pikachu. He found him and opened his eyes, which were now glowing blue.

"Pikachu!" May exclaimed, looking for the Pikachu that Team Rocket was chasing and hoping that she could help it.

"Pikachu! Where are you?" Ash asked.

"Pi Pi Pi! Pika..." Ash's Pikachu began. Ash and May noted that Pikachu cut itself off.

"What's wrong, buddy?" he asked. He and May saw that Pikachu's eyes were glowing blue. "Pikachu?"

"It must be Zyon," May said. "He must be checking up on us."

"Zyon? Or Dawn?"

"Good point. He's probably more worried about chasing Lillie than anything else." Ash noticed the angered tone that May had in her voice. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her one of his comforting smiles. This got the Hoenn Coordinator to calm down and smile back.

"Thanks for checking up on us, Zyon. We're alright. Tell Dawn I said no need to worry." With that, Pikachu's eyes returned to normal.

Back with Zyon and Dawn, the former smiled, knowing that if anyone could get either May or Dawn to relax, it's Ash. "He said that they're alright. Ash also said that there was no need to worry." With that, Zyon, Mew, and Raichu went to find Lillie, leaving Dawn and Piplup by themselves.

"A lot of times, that's when I worry the most."

* * *

Back with Ash and May, the two of them had set up camp. Ash found a log to use as a seat, as well as some firewood. Since they knew that they would be out for a while, May made the decision that one of them pack a tent. Since she knew Ash always brought his own camping gear, she had intentionally 'forgot' to bring her tent. She wanted to bond with Ash as much as possible, but not in the same sense as Dawn. The brunette could easily tell by the way that her blue-haired friend acted around Ash that there was more than just flirting between them. After a moment of peaceful silence, she decided to speak up. "Ash?"she asked, getting his attention as he roasted a marshmallow. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For volunteering to help me find my own Pikachu...and for not mentioning Team Rocket to Zyon."

"Huh? Well, it's no problem, but why didn't you want Team Rocket mentioned?"

"Zyon has this hatred for Team Rocket. It doesn't matter if it's Jessie, James, and Meowth or not. You see, Dawn and I are like family to him. He claims we're both his girlfriends, but Dawn hasn't let him have his way with her yet. I think she was saving herself for you, much like you are for Serena. As a result, they're more like siblings than lovers." Ash just looked at May as she continued on, learning more about his and Serena's old friend. "Here's the lowdown on Zyon so Iris won't have to tell you when she gets here: You see, when Zyon was real little, Team Rocket had made a trip to Hoenn. There, they were trying to steal everyone's Pokémon like they usually do. Zyon's parents had tried to stop them, but were killed right in front of his eyes. Since then, his blood usually boils when he hears a mention of them. We were already close, but this brought us closer as friends. He needed one and I was that one."

"Zyon and I met as kids at Professor Oak's Summer Camp. We met Serena there as well, but I already knew Gary," Ash said, explaining the blank looks he and Zyon had during their battle a few days back. "We always played 'Follow the Leader', but Gary wouldn't give anyone else a chance to be the leader. Zyon, Serena, and I weren't too fond of him because of that, so Serena and I never participated in those games. Gary and I were friends, but as we got older, that friendship got strained. He and I were fishing one time and we both caught the same Poké Ball. We fought over it and wound up breaking it in half. Since then, until the Silver Conference, or Johto League if you will, we remained rivals. In fact, we still are, but on a more friendly note. I don't know if Zyon ever saw that League, but I do know that Serena hasn't."

"Then how did she remember you?"

"I spent a little time with her during the Summer Camp. After that, she went back to Kalos. You notice, May, that I'm a little oblivious when it comes to girls. I felt something for Serena when we were kids, but I didn't know what it was. Whatever it was, it must've been my driving factor this whole time. Serena had to remind me about who she was, but she remembered me. There was an incident regarding a Garchomp that stays in Professor Sycamore's lab and takes care of the Pokémon there. Team Rocket had put this device on her neck to cause her to act up. With some help from Pikachu and Greninja, who was a Froakie before I even got it from the Professor, we managed to calm her down. Apparently, there was a camera showing a close-up of me and Pikachu that caused Serena to be surprised."

"She might've been surprised that you were in Kalos of all places. And that funny feeling, Ash," May said. "It's called 'love'. Deep down, Serena has probably been your driving force because you fell in love with her without realizing it. And now that you've journeyed with her in Kalos, you're more motivated than ever." May saw the pondering look on her mentor's face as he figured out that May was right about everything she said. "That does bring up a question, though: Why haven't you made love with her yet?"

Ash gently blew out the flame that got on his marshmallow before he answered. "Two reasons: One is that I didn't want her to be uncomfortable. The other is that we were traveling with a brother-sister duo named Clemont and Bonnie as well. You're Norman Maple's daughter, making you related to a Gym Leader. Clemont, on the other hand _is_ a Gym Leader, much like how Brock and Cilan were. He uses Electric-types like Heliolisk, Magneton, and Luxray, but he's also got Chespin and Bunnelby as well."

"Clemont sounds like he's tough if he's a Gym Leader."

"He is. He's had a few confidence issues, but those got resolved before our battle. One thing he still gets embarrassed about is Bonnie asking a pretty girl to marry him. In cases like that, he uses his only invention that stays intact, the Aipom Arm, to drag her away."

"Wait, he's an inventor?"

"Yeah. He comes up with some cool machines and they work like they're supposed to initially. I thought they were cool, but Serena and Bonnie never liked the names. However, the one thing they had in common between them is that they malfunctioned somehow and we usually got caught in the explosion." He saw May about to bust a gut laughing. Since he knew why, he thought back on it and did find it funny, joining her in the laughter. The laughter died down and they had a peaceful moment again. "You know, it's nice out here," said Ash .

"Yeah," May said, agreeing with him. "No Max. No Brock. No Zyon or Dawn. I don't have a problem with them, but I do need some peace and quiet once in a while. I figured that if I needed to bond with anyone, it would be you."

"Come to think of it, wasn't this how you first started? Just you and me?"

"Yep. And truth be told, while I was traveling with you, I thought you looked pretty cool, especially in that hoodie. I liked the collared sweater you had on too. This look..." She gestured to his current outfit. "...makes you look like you're going to school."

"Yeah well, my mom did say to wear something cool here. You may have noticed that it gets pretty humid here. Plus, you should've seen the outfit I originally wore."

"I saw the pictures. Plus, Dawn showed me that pic you two took giving Iris the Buneary ears. I liked the first hoodie better."

"Sorry, May, but you can't please everyone." He then showed her the Kalos look, which she thought was cooler than the one he he wore traveling with her. She then noticed the girl next to him.

"Ash, is that Serena?" she asked, getting him to nod and blush. "She's very beautiful. I can see why you loved her."

"I still do. It's not just her looks. It's the time we spent together. You see, much like how you told me about Pokémon Contests, Serena told me about Kalos' Pokémon Showcases. It was her imagination, quick thinking, and the result of them both that attracted me to her. Serena works well with her Pokémon like you, Dawn, and Zoey do. I've seen the result of her hard work and determination. It's amazing to say the least."

"And she's in Hoenn now?" He nodded, confirming to May that Serena was, indeed, functioning as a Coordinator. "Well, Ash, if there ever was someone for you to fall in love with, it's her. And if Dawn does have a crush on you, she, Mallow, and Lana better bow down to their queen's feet...if you invited her, that is."

"I did."

"Good. Now you have a harem and it's got a queen." Ash scratched the back of his head, but before he could continue the conversation, the bushes started to rustle. He and Pikachu stood up in between May and the bushes to protect her in case there was danger. "Ash?" she asked, frightened as she got behind him. Out of the bushes came the female Pikachu, tired from running from Team Rocket. "Is that the Pikachu that Team Rocket was after?"

"Possibly," Ash answered, walking carefully towards the little Pokémon. They noticed that the tail was heart-shaped, telling them that it was female. Ash carefully picked her up and handed her to May so he could dig out some food for her. "Here. You must be hungry."

"Pika..." the little Pokémon said tiredly before approaching the bowl. She found the food to be satisfactory as she ate it, Lillie's recipe paying off. When she was done, May carefully moved her hand to the female Pikachu's head. She scratched behind her ears, which the Pokémon enjoyed. She saw Ash's Pikachu greet it. She could easily tell that he was an experienced battler, so she rubbed her head against his cheek.

"I guess we're in the same boat, huh, Pikachu?"

"Pi...ka...chu..." Pikachu said in-between rubs. Both Pikachu heard someone approaching. The female hid behind Ash and May while the former's Pikachu got ready for battle. Ash could tell from the electricity emitting from his best friend's cheeks that it was a hostile, most likely Team Rocket. Sure enough, the dastardly trio revealed themselves while looking around.

"Not you guys again!" Ash exclaimed.

"Prepare for trouble!" said Jessie.

"...and make it double!" James added.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie..."

"and James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"You know, I never did like any of their dumb mottoes," May said, which Ash agreed with. She then threw a Poké Ball into the air. "Blaziken, I choose you!" The exclamation shocked Ash, even more than May joining the battle did. "What can I say? I took a few cues from you."

"Isn't that sweet? Maybe we can capture you two along with those Pikachu of yours," Jessie said.

"And please give us a challenge this time, twerp," James said, shocking May that they actually beat Ash for once.

"It's time for payback for that one! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered. The female Pikachu was in awe as her new friend fired off his signature attack.

"Blaziken, let's assist Pikachu with Flamethrower!" exclaimed May. Blaziken fired off its Flamethrower, which merged with Pikachu's Thunderbolt for an attack that hit both Mareanie and Mimikyu hard. Mareanie was especially hurt due to being a Water-type and taking a hit from Thunderbolt. A Shadow Claw emerged from the dust and attacked Pikachu, who dodged it.

"Mimikyu, Shadow Ball!" Jessie shouted.

"Mareanie, Sludge Bomb!"

"Blaziken, hit that Shadow Ball back with Blaze Kick!" May ordered.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Pikachu used his Volt Tackle and rushed towards Mimikyu while Blaziken sent Mimikyu's Shadow Ball towards Mareanie. The female Pikachu was in awe at both Ash's Pikachu's power and May's battling ability with Blaziken. It was mainly Pikachu's Thunderbolt that it was impressed by. "Do you want to do the honors, or should I?" Ash asked, seeing Mareanie and Mimikyu weary.

"Please, I want to see Pikachu's new Z-Move in action." Ash smiled and looked at his best friend, who nodded.

Ash crossed his arms in front of his face to activate his Z-Ring before separating them and recrossing them again in front of them. After that, he and Pikachu clapped on the right, the left, the right, and to the left again before Ash brought his hands above his head to imitate Pikachu's ears. The Z-Power flowed through Pikachu as he jumped into Ash's arms. After that, he tossed Pikachu into the air and he gathered electricity and rolling into a ball. "This is all we've got! Pikachu...Catastropika!" It surged towards Mimikyu and Mareanie, both of which were scared, just like their trainers. The attack hit them with enough force to send all of them flying.

"And they're blasting off again!"

"Trust me. They're not." As if on cue, a giant, teddy bear-like Pokémon with black fur on its torso and legs, pink on its head and a white muzzle, appeared and grabbed Team Rocket before running off, leaving Ash, Pikachu, and a baffled May, Blaziken, and female Pikachu behind. "Told you."

"Who was that Pokémon?"

"That's Bewear. It scared the daylights out of me and Pikachu and we wound up at the Pokémon School because of it. Well, that and Mallow."

"I see." They then looked and saw that the female Pikachu was still there. "I thought you would be running off to hide somewhere. It got pretty dicey, you know."

"Pikachu," the female Pikachu said. She then used her body to show how impressed she was with the attacks. "Pika! Pi Pikachu!" She then went over to them and climbed up to May's shoulder, joining Ash's Pikachu, who was on his shoulder. She pointed at her male counterpart before jumping onto the log that Ash and May were using for a seat and demonstrating an attack she knew. It was a small electrical attack that she made sure not to hit Ash and May with.

"That was Thundershock," Ash said, recognizing the attack. He then got the message. "I think that that Pikachu was so impressed with your battle style with Blaziken and Pikachu's Thunderbolt that it wanted to come along."

"What?" May asked. "You mean..."

"Yep. She wants to come along with you and learn Thunderbolt. It makes sense. The attack is more powerful than Thundershock." The female smiled, happy that Ash understood her completely.

"I'm going to have to give you a nickname," May said to the little Pikachu as she approached her. "How about...Ladychu?" The female smiled, liking the nickname. Ash knew the reason behind it: It was so she wouldn't get this Pikachu mixed up with his own while she was calling out an attack. "I'm not very good with nicknames."

"That's okay. James had a Growlithe that he called Growlie." May smiled at that story as she crouched down and put a Poké Ball in front of the newly-nicknamed Ladychu. The little Pikachu smiled and pushed the button on it, allowing it to be captured and become May's Pokémon. After it shook several times, the light flickered, showing that the capture was a success.

"Alright!" she exclaimed happily. "I caught a Pikachu!" Ash, Pikachu, and Blaziken celebrated with her. She then let Ladychu out of her Poké Ball. The female Pikachu jumped into her arms and she gave her a hug. "Welcome to the team, Ladychu."

"Pika!" Ladychu exclaimed happily.

"Hold on, May," Ash said. "I thought you had six Pokémon with you already."

"Oh yeah. Beautifly was getting homesick, so I sent her back to Professor Birch."

"That makes sense." Ash and May shared a happy smile. She was close to hugging him, but the moment was ruined when they saw an explosion that those on Akala Island, Kiawe included, could see.

"What was that?"

"Whatever it was, it came from Hau'oli City! C'mon!" May nodded as she and her Pokémon followed Ash and Pikachu back to the city, obviously putting the fire out first.

* * *

 _(Around the same time...)_

Lillie was walking home, intending to give her gift to Ash tomorrow. She was still angry that Zyon had followed her, but felt that a breath of fresh air would do her some good. As she walked her way to her house, she heard several motorcycles approaching. She looked and saw at least twenty or so Team Skull members surrounding her. She was naturally scared, especially since she didn't have a Pokémon of her own. "Hey, baby," a Skull member greeted with a lecherous tone. "Not exactly safe out here at night, remember?"

"She's quite a looker, don't you think?" another grunt said, getting the rest to give Lillie some perverted glances.

"Get back! I-I'm warning you!"

"Ooh! We're so scared!" Lillie looked around at each of them and saw no way out. She tried to be brave and failed miserably. As she was about to try and defend herself, one of the grunts grabbed her arms from behind and held her tight.

"I'd say at least one of us got lucky, cutie," the grunt said, tearing the right shoulder of Lillie's dress and groping her breast hard, much to her displeasure.

 _'This isn't how I wanted to lose my virginity,'_ she said, shedding tears of physical and emotional pain. _'I was hoping to give it to one I fell in love with. Perhaps Ash, but I don't know if I have that level of attraction to him like Lana or Mallow do. This was not what I expected.'_ "Please, let me go!"

"Or what? Ketchum's not here to save his damsel-in-distress now and you're the only one of his crew without a Pokémon. There's nothing you can do," another grunt said. "I say we have our way with this one." Everyone cheered at the suggestion, which frightened Lillie to more tears. Suddenly, an explosion occurred. The Skull grunts looked and saw that their bikes were being burned. On the bikes stood a shadowy figure. The Skull grunts, minus the one holding Lillie, went after the figure, sending out Salandit, Zubat, and Yungoos. It was a big mistake, especially sending the Poison-types, as the figure used its Psychic to knock their heads together. Once they were knocked out, the figure turned its attention to the grunt holding Lillie. The grunt pulled out a gun as he continued to grope her hard as more tears streamed down her beautiful face. The Grunts recovered and were immediately scared. "Don't make one more move or I'll blow her brains out all over the street.

Zyon saw the smoke rising, so he, Raichu, Mew, and the Mewtwo that Ash, May, Mallow, Dawn, and Rowlet saw went to check it out. Once the four of them got there, the sight before them horrified Zyon. It enraged him that the Skull grunts were harming his newfound crush, especially to hold the figure in the fire back. "Lillie," he said, distraught about what to do.

"I'll kill her! I swear to Arceus!" The figure teleported and grabbed the guy's wrist when it got close and freeing Lillie, who was slumped down.

 _'No. You won't,'_ the figure said telepathically, its voice being female. The figure used its psychic power to move the grunts to the same spot, far away from Lillie.

"Mewtwo, Aura Sphere! Mewtwo, Shadow Ball! Raichu, Thunder!" Zyon ordered, not using his telepathy for once. The male Mewtwo used Aura Sphere, which was a blue sphere of Aura like the name suggested, while the figure, which was the female, used Shadow Ball. "Mew, combine them using your Psychic! It's time to send these guys out of here!" Mew did just that, merging the Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball and covering the newly formed ball of Aura and Ghost-type energy in Raichu's Thunder. The explosion was fifty feet tall, tall enough for Kiawe to see all the way from Akala Island. Lillie turned her head to see her savior. She saw the more agressive Mewtwo as she passed out.

Ash and May arrived to see the cause of the explosion and found the obvious signs of a war zone. Raichu was sweating up a storm as he used his paw to wipe his forehead. "What happened here?" Ash asked. He then saw a face he hasn't seen since Johto. "Mewtwo?"

 _'It's been a while, Ash,'_ the male Mewtwo said. Ash could easily tell which one was which since the male had more compassion in his eyes than the female. _'Allow me to show you what has happened.'_ Ash and May nodded and closed their eyes. Mewtwo placed his hands above their heads and revealed everything that transpired. It made Ash's blood boil that Team Skull would even dream about harming Lillie, especially to get to him.

"So you guys did all this?" May asked, getting a nod from Mewtwo.

"But, what about Lillie?" asked Ash, obviously worried about her.

"She's shook up," Zyon said, turning around to show his worried expression. "But she'll make it." They saw that Lillie was wrapped in a blanket while in Zyon's arms. She regained enough consciousness to see Ash and May. "Lillie?"

She weakly moved her arm and, with quite a bit of effort, lifted the bag she had. "Here...Ash..." she said with a weak smile. "I...got you a present...you...and Pikachu...both..." After that, she fell unconscious again.

"I'll take her to my place," Zyon said, still heartbroken at what almost happened. "Thanks for helping May, Ash. I owe you one."

"She's my first student," Ash said, shocking Zyon that Ash was pretty close to May. "I'd help her and Dawn both any day."

"Is that right? Do you...do you think you can let Dawn spend the night with you again? I do have to have a place for Lillie to sleep and I don't want anyone sleeping on the couch."

"You got it." The look on Ash's face told Zyon that if there was anyone he could trust with May and Dawn, especially the latter, it was him. While Zyon and Raichu went back to their cabin with Lillie, May looked at Ash and gave him a tight hug after returning Blaziken to its Pokémon. As Ash hugged her back, they stayed there for about half a minute. Ash could easily tell that this was May's 'Thank you' for helping her. This was also her way of telling him that she was sorry for what happened to Lillie. They broke the hug and stared at each others' eyes, showing that the bond between the two has been restrengthened. She had her mentor and someone she could talk to about her problems again while Ash had his original student back as well as another he could tell about Serena without being too embarrassed. They gave each other a knowing look and held up their hands. They grasped the other's hand in a high five nature, though not like he routinely did with Dawn. After that, May went and caught up with Zyon and Raichu. It may have been a bad day for Lillie, but it was a good one for Ash and May.

CHAPTER 3 END

* * *

 **Okay, you guys, that was a long one. I'm just glad that I managed to get this done before February was done with. This was Ash and May's ultimate bonding moment so far and I'm glad we got to read about it. As for the next chapter, it'll focus on the return of another fan favorite, but though she has a slight crush on Ash in this story, their relationship is more like one between siblings, so there is the whole argument thing to factor in. I won't tell you who it is, but I'm sure you'll figure it out.**


	4. The Old Gang Reunites!

**Okay, now it's Chapter 4 and we're bringing back the last member of the original group. Enjoy.** **Warning: Lemon in this.**

* * *

 **The Old Gang Reunites!**

At Zyon's cabin, Zyon and May were trying to comfort Lillie after her traumatizing experience. Naturally, she was distraught, but luckily, both the egg she was taking care of and the present she gave Ash were both intact. May and Zyon tried talking to her, but she inadvertently zoned them out, unable to speak due to the tears in her eyes. Ash, Kiawe, and Mallow made Team Skull look like chumps that she forgot that they were still a dangerous group. They set Lillie on the couch as Raichu jumped up. When he was about to pat her head to try and comfort her, May, to Ladychu's amusement, swatted his paw, reminding him that it was not a good idea for a Pokémon to touch her, especially when she was in this state.

Naturally, Raichu was not thrilled. Using Thunder, he fired at May. Ladychu tried defending her trainer with Thundershock, but it wasn't strong enough. She and May both wound up shocked. "Raichu!" Zyon exclaimed, getting Raichu to stop. "Stop treating May like a lightning rod! I got you one for your birthday, remember?" Raichu gave a cheeky grin and scratched the back of his head.

"I don't think he even uses it," May said.

"Pika Pi!" exclaimed Ladychu.

"Is that the Pikachu that Ash helped you get?" Ladychu answered Zyon's question by smiling. "She's cute."

"Yeah. I named her Ladychu. She and I are going to have to start training with Ash and Pikachu, though. It'll be just like old times."

"Let's worry about that later." May nodded, knowing that Zyon was indicating Lillie's condition. He set a plate of food and a glass of water in front of her, hoping that she'd at least eat up. Zyon was surprised that she got over it long enough to give Ash his gift, as was May. She knew to put her jealousy aside long enough to worry about her. They knew that she couldn't do anything right now, including, as they saw, eating. This left May and Zyon with only one option. Seeing as how the cabin only had three rooms and they knew it was no time to fool around, May guided the light-blonde girl to her feet and slowly walked her to what would be Dawn's room if she were around. The coordinator slowly sat Lillie down on the bed, helped her legs up, and tucked her in as Zyon put the egg in her arms. "Here's hoping that that little one can help Lillie through this trauma. I know I can't," Zyon said. May knew he was right.

As they went back to the living room, the two of them mulled on the horrifying experience with Team Skull. Brock had made his battle look so easy that they forgot never to underestimate any criminal organization, even one that looked like they were a bunch of Hip-Hop wannabes who were turned down for a record deal. Contrary to her annoyance, he knew he should've been there sooner. May felt bad, but didn't regret that she went off to get a new Pokémon, also enjoying her renewed bond with Ash. What they didn't know was that there was an old friend of theirs hiding behind the kitchen counter. Taller than May, slender, with long legs, orange hair grown to her back and no longer in its ponytail, she was dressed in a yellow shirt, yellow short shorts, a red swimsuit underneath (similar in style to Lana's blue one), and sneakers. While May had her back turned to them, she snuck up to Zyon, tapped one shoulder, and moved to the other side. "What the-? Who's there?" he asked, getting May's attention. They turned around at the same time and were shocked at who it was.

"It's Misty!" they exclaimed.

"Hey, guys," she greeted. May glared over at Raichu, knowing that Misty told him not to give her away. "What's going on?"

"Not much, Mist," Zyon greeted.

"But...I thought you were running the Cerulean City Gym back in Kanto," said May.

"Daisy volunteered to take over while I was gone. A Gym Leader needs a break once in a while. And what about you? I thought you were traveling with Ash."

"Yeah, until his Battle Frontier journey ended."

"Battle Frontier?" Zyon asked, having not heard of it.

"Yeah," Misty said. "It's this set of seven facilities around Kanto with only one being on the move once in a while. Ash managed to beat the first five facilities in one try, but it took him two to beat the Battle Tower's Salon Maiden and three to beat the Pyramid King."

"And how come I haven't heard of the Battle Frontier?"

"Probably because Scott couldn't get a hold of you," May answered.

"Is there any possibility for me to crash here tonight?" Misty asked, knowing that it was dark out. Zyon and May looked at each other, knowing that they had to tell her the truth.

"We'd offer you the third bedroom, but it's being occupied at the moment," he said. "The intended occupant was supposed to be our friend Dawn, but she's been spending time with Ash. In fact, this is the second time in a row that she spent the night with him." This stunned Misty, as she didn't know that Ash was there, nor did she know that he was spending time with a girl that she didn't know. It was then she realized that she hadn't spoken with him since after the Battle Frontier, something that hurt her a little. May didn't even have the heart to tell her about Serena. "Are you okay, Misty?"

"If you want," May said. "You can spend the night bunking with me in my room. Sleeping on the couch isn't recommended."

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Misty said. "I'll take a hotel room for the night if the third room's taken." As Misty and Azurill left, May and Zyon couldn't help but feel sad for her, though they were still worried about Lillie. May decided to tell her about Lillie tomorrow.

* * *

The next day, Ash and Dawn were out doing some morning exercises. They were worried about Lillie as well, but knew she was in good hands. Dawn wanted to try a combo out that she told Ash about the previous night. She had Piplup get in position as Ash sent out Rowlet, who was clearly awake. Dawn had Piplup prepare a Whirlpool as Ash began the process of a Z-Move. He brought his hands to his lower right side before moving his left arm to his upper right. He balled up his fists as he put his left arm on his forehead and his right arm at his stomach, forming a 'Z' and powering up Rowlet. He announced his motto as Lana, to their ignorance, looked on. Piplup fired the Whirlpool towards the water in a drill-like manner as Rowlet surged for the center with the Z-Move, Breakneck Blitz. This pushed the Whirlpool more before Rowlet broke through the point and flew above the walls of water that formed. "Alright!" Ash exclaimed.

"It actually worked!" added Dawn, to her surprise and joy. Brock came and smiled at the sight as Lana and Popplio looked on, amazed at the instant teamwork between the two birds, and even more at the result. She knew what it was, though: Even though Rowlet and Piplup had just met, Ash and Dawn knew each other for a long time. This went without saying, but it meant that Piplup could work with any of Ash's Pokémon, even his elder Pokémon like Greninja, Sceptile, or even Charizard. "That's some power!"

"Z-Moves typically require a great deal of energy. Pikachu's used to using them, but I'm still getting some training in with Rowlet." Dawn smiled as Rowlet perched on Ash's shoulder and fell asleep. She couldn't help but admire Ash in every way, something her fellow bluenette agreed with. "Speaking of training..." Dawn nodded, knowing what Ash was talking about. They started exercising with a race. He put Rowlet in its Poké Ball again and raced on the beach with Dawn, Piplup, and Pikachu as Lana and Brock looked on.

"You think he's something else, don't you?" Brock said, getting Lana's attention. "I can tell you admire him as more than just a school hero and as more than a friend."

"You caught on to that, huh?" Lana asked, remembering how she kissed Ash on the cheek more often.

"Yeah. The thing is, Ash may be like nothing you've seen before, but to me, Dawn, and May, he's still the same as he's always been: Compassionate, caring, friendly, and yet courageous, reckless, and completely devoted to his training. I'm amazed he's found the time to spend with someone other than his Pokémon. Ash is Ash, no matter how you look at it. Though, what's got him to spend time with Dawn is something I'll never figure out."

"Mallow told me that there was another girl that introduced Ash to the concept of romance." Lana's statement surprised Brock, knowing how dense Ash was before. "A girl from the Kalos region kissed him before they parted ways and Ash wound up here. Apparently, he knew this girl before he even got Pikachu."

"So he's not totally dense after all." With that, they went to rejoin Ash and Dawn. "Does Ash know that you know?"

"He does. The only ones who still don't, at least as far as I know, are Kiawe, Lillie, and Sophocles."

"Speaking of Lillie, did you hear what happened to her?" Brock asked.

"I heard. Such a horrible thing to do to someone who wasn't a threat to them."

"These Team Skull guys are confused, though. They know that Ash and Mallow are usually rescuing Lillie at every turn, but somehow, they knew that Ash was in the forest with May helping her catch a Pokémon."

"Maybe they've gotten more clever since losing to Ash and Mallow," Lana said. "Or they might've met Team Rocket."

"I doubt it on both conclusions. Criminal organizations don't get along well with other criminal organizations. You can tell that from the interactions Team Aqua and Team Magma have had in Hoenn before they got disbanded. So how Team Skull knew Ash would be in the woods with May is up in the air." They arrived at the rocks that Ash and Dawn stopped at and spotted them doing their exercises with Mallow looking on, bottles of water ready for the both of them. "When did Mallow get here?"

"I've been here. Ash and Dawn told me about their workout plan last night, so this is the spot where we'd agree to meet at," Mallow answered. She went over to Dawn to hold her feet down while she did sit-ups. Ash, on the other hand, was doing another exercise that surprised everyone that he could do. He even had the girls blushing as he had his shirt off while doing this.

"All this time and you never told me you could do one-handed push-ups, Ash," Dawn said, getting him to pause a moment to flash her a grin.

"Talk about keeping a secret," Lana said, getting up close to him as he was doing the push-ups. "Look at all this."

"Don't touch, Lana!" Mallow scolded, knowing that Lana was about to poke him.

"I think I'm inclined to agree," said a voice that Ash and Brock knew sounded familiar. Ash saw a familiar pair of red sneakers, so he looked up to see the wearer, shocked at who was present.

"Misty!" he exclaimed, shocked to the point of his arm giving in.

"That's Misty?" Mallow asked, getting nods from Dawn and Brock.

"All this time, Ash, and I've never seen you pull off a one-handed push-up before," said the Gym Leader. "Very impressive."

"I'll say," Dawn said. "I guess traveling with Serena really had its benefits." This got Ash and Mallow to cover Dawn's mouth and shush her, but it was too late.

"'Serena'? Who's Serena? In fact, the only other two here that I know are Brock and Pikachu, but I don't know any of you."

"That's understandable," Mallow said. "I'm Mallow. And this is Bounsweet."

"Bounsweet!" Bounsweet exclaimed.

"I'm Lana, and this is Popplio," Lana said, introducing herself and her starter.

"And I'm Dawn. This is my Starter, Piplup."

"Piplup," Piplup said with pride.

"It's nice to meet you all," Misty said. "I'm Misty, the Cerulean City Gym Leader. And this here is Azurill."

"Nice seeing you again too, Azurill," Ash said, getting a smile from the blue Normal/Fairy-type.

"So back to my previous question: Who's Serena?" Ash, Mallow, and Dawn knew that it was time to spill the beans.

"She's no one you have to worry about," Dawn said. "She's just Ash's girlfriend." This stunned Misty greatly, as never in her mind did she expect Ash of all people to get a girlfriend. "Misty?"

"Ash...got...a girlfriend?"

"And to top it off," Brock said. "I think he's also got a small harem here. Lucky kid." This got Lana, Mallow, and Dawn to blush so bright, they would make a Christmas light look dead. Of course, they'd never admit it to Misty, but they did have a crush on Ash, each of them trying to get real cozy with them.

"But...how...?"

"You're the one who told me to get a girlfriend, remember?" Ash said, reminding Misty of their meeting with Melody at Shamuti Island.

"Yeah! One! The way I'm hearing it, you've got four, three of which are here! Ash, I don't know any of these girls! The only other person I know that's here right now besides you is Brock!"

"So what?" Brock asked, butting in. "Misty, Ash has grown into his own person. I stopped traveling with him after Sinnoh, after his and Dawn's respective tournaments. He didn't need either of us in Unova or Kalos."

"Nobody asked you to butt in, Brock!" Misty exclaimed before taking a few deep breaths. Ash and Brock sat her down on a rock so she could settle down, both shocked at the outburst. Now the other girls felt guilty for causing this tension, but remembered that Ash and Misty frequently argued when they traveled together. They didn't expect her to snap at Brock, though. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"I suggest you worry less about that and more about your blood pressure," Ash said, feeling her pulse.

"He's right. Something like that's not good for your health or your Pokémon. You know this."

"I know. I'm sorry," Misty said, slowly regaining her composure. She then looked at the other girls and found Dawn to be the most experienced of them due to her travels. However, she knew that using a Water-type against Piplup was nearly pointless since it was a Water-type as well. The same went with Lana and Popplio. She also came to the correct conclusion that Mallow's Bounsweet was a Grass-type, which was stronger than a Water-type. "Can I change the subject?" she asked.

"Sure," Ash answered.

"Did you bring any of your other Pokémon with you, Ash? Or are they at Professor Oak's lab?"

"They're at Professor Oak's lab, but I do have a second Pokémon with me." He then tossed a Poké Ball into the air and brought Rowlet out. "This is Rowlet. He's a Grass/Flying-type that happens to be one of Alola's Starters, just like Popplio."

"How much has Rowlet battled?"

"Ash pointed out that he hasn't battled much yet," Dawn said.

"Okay then. How about it, Ash? A battle between Rowlet and Starmie?" The proposition shocked Ash and the others, as they figured that Starmie was more powerful than Staryu, especially given its Psychic-type abilities. Ash and Brock knew why Misty suggested Starmie, though: It was because she didn't see Rowlet as much of a challenge.

"You're on!"

The two old friends made their way to the main beach part, leaving Brock, Dawn, Lana, and Mallow to look on. Misty took a Poké Ball and threw it into the air, unleashing a purple Pokémon that looked like a ten-pointed starfish with a red jewel in its center. Dawn got her PokéDex out for a bit of info. _"STARMIE, THE MYSTERIOUS POKEMON, A WATER/PSYCHIC-TYPE. STARMIE'S CORE IS SAID TO EMIT ELECTRICAL WAVES THAT REACH THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE AS WELL AS FUNCTION AS COMMUNICATION TO MEMBERS OF ITS SPECIES."_

That's very impressive," Dawn said.

"What'll be more impressive is how Rowlet will be able to handle itself against a Gym Leader's Pokémon," Mallow said. "Given that the only Trainers Ash had ever faced with him are Team Rocket, Lillie's butler, and the Island Kahuna Hala, this is a real challenge."

"Starmie, use Water Gun!" Misty shouted.

"Rowlet, dodge it!" Ash ordered. Rowlet flew up into the air to dodge the Water Gun, making Misty wait in anticipation at what it was going to do next. "Okay, Rowlet, use Tackle!" At Ash's order, Rowlet swooped down and used its foot on Starmie, sending it back to the rocks behind Misty.

"Starmie!" The Water/Psychic-type got up, showing Misty that it was ready to continue. Misty breathed a sigh of relief as she turned back to Ash. "What do you say we make this a two-on-two? I want to see what Pikachu's learned as well!"

"Fine by me!"

"Starmie, Psybeam!" Rowlet, on Ash's orders, spun around Starmie's attack and got behind it, to both Starmie and Misty's confusion.

"Rowlet, Leafage!" Ash exclaimed. Misty, shocked, turned around and saw Rowlet with his wings glowing a bright green. From those wings, he fired a flurry of leaves around Starmie.

"Starmie, take control of those leaves with Psychic!" Starmie did as was told, but this gave Ash an opening.

"Rowlet, use Peck!" Rowlet went for the Peck as ordered, but because of the speed and precision, Ash and the others knew he learned a new attack, which he used to knock Starmie out. "That was Aerial Ace..."

"You did well, Starmie," Misty said, returning her Pokémon. "Now rest." She then turned to Ash and Rowlet, the latter of which, to her surprise, was asleep.

 _"AGAIN!?"_ Rotom asked, bringing up the same question that Lana and Mallow had on their minds.

"That's right, Ash. I forgot. Thanks to Swellow, you're all-too-familiar with Aerial Ace." Misty smiled, both at the fact that this battle was bringing back memories, and that Pikachu was ready to battle. He and Ash, as well as Brock, knew who she was going to send out next. "Go, Staryu!" What came out of the Poké Ball was one that looked like a normal starfish with a spherical core.

"Who's that one?" Dawn asked.

"That's Staryu," Brock said. "It's Starmie's pre-evolved form, but it's more powerful than Starmie is. Misty made a mistake in choosing Starmie to go up against Rowlet because she underestimated him. She knows not to do that with Pikachu. They're both very fast, but Pikachu's got the type advantage, being an Electric-type."

"And of course, given that Ash has been on more journeys, Pikachu would be more powerful as well." As Brock and Dawn had their conversation, Ash and Pikachu had the same smirk on their faces that Misty had on hers.

"Staryu, Rapid Spin!" Misty exclaimed. Staryu hopped into the air, angled itself horizontally, and spun rapidly while aiming towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash ordered. Naturally, Pikachu's trusty Iron Tail came in handy, as it swung at Staryu and sent it towards the cliff that the others present were on.

"Okay then. Staryu, Dive!" Staryu did as ordered, diving into the water. To Ash and Pikachu, it was the same as using Dig, meaning that Staryu could pop up anywhere. Ash, Dawn, and Brock noticed a slight hill popping up and heading towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, jump!"

"Now, Staryu!" As Pikachu jumped, Staryu popped out of its hole using Rapid Spin. Upon Ash's order, he used an Electro Ball for a quick counter. However, Staryu and Pikachu both wound up hit. Pikachu and Staryu landed on their feet, both bruised up by the collision, but up to continue. "Staryu, Tackle!"

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" Ash's command shocked Misty, as well as Brock, Mallow, and Lana, as none of them knew that Pikachu had it back in his arsenal. Misty cancelled the attack and got Staryu to jump up, dodging the Volt Tackle. "Big mistake, Misty!" Ash pointed out, as Misty forgot about one attack Ash had yet to call out. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" he exclaimed, getting Pikachu to fire off his signature technique. The attack hit Staryu on point and pushed it upwards a little before it fell down, knocked out. "Way to go, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped into Ash's arms.

"You did well, Staryu," Misty said as she returned her signature Pokémon to its Poké Ball. "That was a great battle, Ash. It certainly helped."

"With what?" Ash asked.

"Easy," said Brock, who was coming down with Dawn, Mallow, and Lana to rejoin the two. "It was to relieve the tension between the two of you."

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that. I haven't seen you since before the Battle Frontier journey, have I?"

"Well you could've sent a postcard, even one with you and Serena together," Misty said. "Did you invite her down here?"

"I did, but Zyon also invited his irritating cousin Iris here as well. My arguments with her are about ten times worse than the ones I had with you and I went on three journeys with you." The revelation shocked Misty, as Zyon hasn't even mentioned Iris one bit to her.

* * *

While Ash was filling Misty on who his other traveling companions were, even mentioning Clemont, Bonnie, and Cilan, May was simply relaxing on the beach with Ladychu. It was a nice day for it too, especially since she found a secluded spot for them to relax at. However, Zyon also gave them the task of watching over Lillie, who was still traumatized. She didn't know if she should pass her off to Ash and Dawn, especially after Dawn sent her the video of Ash and Misty's battle. This reaffirmed her decision to look after Lillie herself since she figured Zyon went out on the town to find a way to get her through it. She was happy to know that Pikachu and Staryu were in top shape to battle one another, especially after all that time they were away from each other. May was also happy that Rowlet was a good fighter in his own right, even though Starmie was the weaker of the two Pokémon in the Gym Leader's current arsenal, unaware that Misty brought her secret weapon with her.

May took a glance over at Lillie and decided to move over next to her, sharing an umbrella with her. Lillie wasn't aware that her classmate was there, however, still suffering the nightmare in her head. This told May to not let Lillie anywhere near a Darkrai anytime soon. Carefully, she wrapped an arm around the surprised blonde's shoulders, causing her to jump. She looked to see May offering a friendly smile and a glass of Pinap Juice. Lillie took the offer and drank a few sips from the glass. She found it to be helpful to her relaxation, but it only helped a little. "I'm sorry," Lillie said softly, causing May to look surprised. "I'm sorry to make you worry about me so much, especially after last night."

"Hey, don't worry about it," May said. "We're always happy to help, Lillie. If I didn't lose my virginity, I'd be about as scared as you. Of course, I'd still be scared if it happened to me, so I don't blame you. In fact, the only thing that I do blame you for is that you're too beautiful and innocent, just like Dawn."

"Yeah well, Dawn's more confident than I am. Plus, she's one of three girls Ash has on speed dial for a good time now, so that might mean that she, Mallow, and Lana may not be so innocent."

"Actually, they're still innocent, but Dawn's semi-corrupted. Have you seen her advances on Ash? It's no wonder you got her room."

"I slept in Dawn's room?"

"It was supposed to be, but she's been spending so much time with Ash that it practically became a guest room. Had you not have been there, we would've let our friend Misty sleep in it."

"Misty?"

"She's the Cerulean City Gym Leader and her skills are as sharp as ever. In fact, she and Ash had just had a battle. Two-on-two." May showed the battle to Lillie. The blonde was amazed at Starmie's power when it used Psychic to capture Rowlet's Leafage, but was even more impressed at the battle between Pikachu and Staryu. She was amazed at the latter's abilities, but wasn't too surprised that Ash, one of the school heroes along with Kiawe, had won. "Ash already won the Cascade Badge there, but it wasn't for beating Misty. Instead, it was for saving the Gym's Pokémon. Back then, Misty's sisters were the Gym Leaders, but Misty was allowed to serve as a proxy, especially since she's more battle-ready than they are. In fact, from what I hear, four of the first five Badges he ever got were given to him. Brock gave the Boulder Badge to him when Ash initially declined it due to an unfair advantage. The Rainbow Badge was given to him for saving the Grass-type Pokémon from a fire. And the Marsh Badge was given to him by Sabrina for a Haunter making her laugh."

"What about that fifth badge?" Lillie asked.

"The Thunder Badge was earned the old-fashioned way. He and Pikachu had beaten Lt. Surge and his Raichu at the Vermilion City Gym on their second try. It was Pikachu's first win over his evolved form. According to Dawn, he repeated this same feat at Sinnoh against a trainer named Sho. Their most recent win against a Raichu was against Zyon's, which is a rare case for him."

"What do you mean?"

"Zyon's Pokémon, as you could tell from last night, are extremely powerful. Raichu's no different. In fact, he frequently tells his Pokémon to fight at half of their strength."

"Oh, so that's why Zyon lost to Ash."

"And Ash knew it. Raichu was actually fighting at three-quarters of his strength, but they still weren't helping him. In fact, they were only hurting themselves by doing that." With that, the two girls looked towards the sky with May having a smile on her face. "Ash and Zyon are something else for different reasons. However, it's those different reasons that make Ash Zyon's biggest challenge. I'm sure Kiawe can provide a challenge if he faced Zyon, but I don't know what Pokémon he has."

"He has a Fire/Dragon-type named Turtonator that he uses as his signature Pokémon. If you ever see him battle, you'll know how Ash got to wanting to do his Island Challenge." May merely smiled, happy that Lillie was getting over her trauma. She knew it was still there, though. The girls shared a smile and turned back to the water, which they noticed was bubbling. They hear a sound that was familiar to May, so she signaled Lillie back into the house with Raichu. As Lillie did what she was told, May got ready. A forty-foot whirlpool rose from the water before it burst apart, revealing a dark Pokémon with a purple stomach and folds and dark grey everywhere else. He was a bird-like Pokémon with hands at the end of his wings and a face and tail more resembling a dragon.

The Pokémon used Aqua Jet to zoom past her, narrowly avoiding her. "Dammit, Lugia!" May shouted, running after the Shadow Pokémon and not knowing that she was being baited. She chased Lugia through the forest, jumping over a log in the process. Ladychu was following as well, not wanting her trainer to leave her behind. They came to a clearing and saw that the environment changed a bit. Now they were getting a bit of a chill since they saw an icy environment around them. "Mewtwo..." She then felt something soft touch her cheek very briefly. With that touch, she felt an energy boost. She looked and saw a canine-like Pokémon dash through the cliffs. "Lucario?" May asked herself. The Pokémon had blue fur with certain spots being black. He had spikes coming from his paws. Since it was Lucario who had given her the boost, she knew it was for her speed. Ladychu hung on as May sped through the cliffs at superhuman speeds.

She got to a warmer part of the natural obstacle course when she was suddenly blinded. She used her senses to get her around like she was taught to do. She sensed her way through, but didn't expect a log to get in her way. She tripped over it and fell into some mud, disgusted by it. She was helped up by a familiar hand on her arm. "Zyon. I should've known," she said, disgruntled.

"You know, you look cute like that," Zyon said. "Maybe you should take more mud baths."

"I really hate you right now." With that, Zyon smiled and let her go, making her fall in the mud again. Ladychu got mad and fired a Thundershock at Zyon, surprising him that she actually hit her target.

"Sorry, Ladychu. I've been on the business end of Raichu's Thunder before, so this is more like a small pinch." After that, Zyon left, forcing May to have to find him on her own.

"Bastard." With that, they got back up and started to follow Zyon's psychic trail. "He is right, though; Raichu's arsenal consists of Thunder, Volt Tackle, Iron Tail, and Hyper Beam. And we've been on the receiving end of that first one."

"Pika!" Ladychu exclaimed, letting May know that she wanted to learn Thunderbolt, not Thunder, which meant that they needed to do their own training with Ash.

* * *

After a while, May reached a cave, her eyesight clearing on its own. She wasn't too happy that she was sweaty and muddy. Zyon was leaning against a wall holding a staff in his hand while Lugia was curled up in the cave and Lucario was sitting on a rock. "Hey, sexy," he greeted in a flirting manner. "Enjoy your trip?"

"How would you like to end up like my bike?" May asked in a threatening manner.

"What did happen to your bike?"

"Ash and Pikachu happened. They were trying to get away from Team Magma and my bike got caught in the crossfire." May knew she was lying, but she didn't want Zyon to know that it was actually Team Rocket that was chasing him. "Still, that's off-topic! That was not cool how you left me and Ladychu to deal with the harsh environment that Mewtwo created!"

"Hey, you have to learn to deal with bad weather."

"Maybe, but I don't need to deal with total assholes!"

"Sorry." May only showed more of her temper before realizing that she was well on her way to becoming a Master Psychic. She realized that Dawn was still a step behind, but even with her training with Ash, she would still practice a bit. "Figured it out yet?"

"Yeah, I did."

* * *

Back with Ash and the others, Dawn was on the balance beam. The previous night, Dawn had informed Ash about her psychic training, which Ash volunteered to help her with. Misty had gotten Staryu and Starmie healed up while Ash did the same thing with Pikachu. Right now, Dawn had a blindfold on so she could use her other senses to find her way around. Ash had noted that she had taken her socks and shoes off in order to do this. She was approaching another balance beam, so she moved her foot to it and continued without losing her balance. Luckily, Ash was there in case she did. Ash noticed Pikachu's eyes glow blue, so he knew it was Zyon. What he didn't know was that it was happening to Piplup as well. "Is that you, Zyon?" he asked. "How's Lillie?"

 _'She could be better,'_ Zyon said. _'Raichu's looking after her right now. How's Dawn doing?'_

"She's doing alright. She told me about that psychic training you were putting her and May through, so she's on the balance beam with a blindfold and no shoes on. She hasn't even fallen off once."

 _'That's impressive, especially since she's a step behind May.'_

"I heard that!" Dawn exclaimed. They heard a different laughter besides Zyon's coming from Piplup, which they recognized as May's. "Did May show you Ash's battle against Misty?"

 _'Ash battled Misty?'_

"I'm going to guess you pissed May off today, so she didn't even bother to show you. Ash battled against Misty and won."

"True story," Misty said. "In fact, I beat Ash in a battle at the Whirl Cup. I think that's it."

"Yeah," Ash said. "You almost had me at the Gym Battle."

"And don't forget your battles over Togetic and Totodile," Brock pointed out.

 _'I figured Ash could be beat,'_ Zyon said. However, Pikachu held his head as the psychic yelled out in pain. _'May!'_

 _'Quit teasing Ash, will you!?'_ May scolded.

"She's right, Zyon," Dawn said, still keeping her balance with Ash behind her. "Anyone can be beaten, even you. Ash did beat Gary at the Johto League. To top it off, he got farther than he did in the Kanto League, won the Orange League, and got in the Top 8 at Hoenn and Unova, as well as the Top 4 in Sinnoh."

 _'Top 4 in Sinnoh? Top 8 in Johto and Hoenn? Champion of the Orange League? And you won the Battle Frontier when I wasn't even invited?'_ Zyon asked, shock and surprise clear in his voice. _'Ash, what else did I miss?'_ Ash looked to Mallow.

"You might as well tell him," the green-haired girl said, Dawn agreeing with her.

"Well...I may have made it to the finals in the Kalos League," Ash said, scratching the back of his head. Zyon and May weren't the only ones surprised by this, as Misty and Brock made it clear that they were unaware of that achievement as well.

 _'Ash, you failed to tell me about that part!'_ May exclaimed, getting Ash to scratch the back of his head. Dawn took one last step before sensing that she was at the end of the balance beam. She put one foot behind the other and spun on the balls of her feet with ease. _'Way to go, Dawn!'_

 _'Nice spin!'_ Zyon said. They decided to say their _'See you laters'_ and let Pikachu and Piplup have their consciousness back. That way, Ash could focus on catching Dawn should she fall. She walked on the first beam she started on and got to the end. She then let out a small, devious smile, which was only noticed by the other girls. She 'fell' off towards Ash's direction, causing the Kanto trainer to react quickly and catch her in his arms.

"Are you okay, Dawn?" he asked, unaware of the knowing smirks between Brock and Misty. Mallow had an amused look on her face while Lana was still a bit envious.

"I'm fine, especially since you went ahead and played the hero," she said, taking her blindfold off and showing Ash the flirting look in her eyes. "Thank you, Sir Ash of Pallet Town." She then rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek. Misty chuckled slightly at Brock's reaction, still jealous that Ash could land a girl before he could.

"She did that on purpose," Lana mumbled, pouting about the whole thing.

"Yep," Mallow said, still amused by the sight. They heard some footsteps, so they looked, expecting Team Skull to go after Ash for payback for what Zyon did to them. They were shocked to see Lillie and Raichu approach them. As usual, Lillie had her egg in her arms. "Lillie?" She looked towards Ash and Mallow and saw the former still holding Dawn in his arms. "Is something wrong?"

"Rai Raichu," Raichu said, getting Pikachu to jump off of Ash's shoulder to talk to him. The two brothers continued talking, but because of the close bond Ash had with Pikachu, he knew what was going on.

"Is there a translator around?" Misty asked. "Raichu's not using much body language."

"He's saying that he wants to find Zyon ASAP," Ash said, relaying what Raichu told Pikachu. "Apparently, he hates being separated from his trainer. No surprise there. Apparently, Lillie also wants to go back to her own house." They looked at the platinum blonde, who nodded. Raichu waved goodbye and went to sniff around for his trainer, starting back at their cabin. Ash set Dawn on her feet and joined Mallow to get a closer look at Lillie, who just noticed what Ash was wearing. It was the fedora she bought him from the mall, which brought a smile to her face as her eyes brightened up a little more. She handed Lana the egg so she could hug Ash and Mallow, who came to be her two best friends.

"Thank you," Lillie said, a happy smile on her face. She didn't even have to ask Ash if he liked the hat. It made her day to see him wearing it. Ash and Mallow also knew what she was talking about: the walk home. "I love you guys. I don't think I have ever had any better friends."

"But...Zyon's the one that saved your life," Ash said. "Me and May saw it. It's how Dawn ended up sleeping with me for two nights in a row. Really, I should thank you."

"Nonsense, Ash. I owe Zyon more than I could give him, yes. You don't need to thank me because I owe you two a lot as well. And I may let you have me at some point."

"After what you went through last night, I don't know if a romantic romp is such a good idea for you right now," Mallow said. "Besides, Ash is waiting for someone."

"Who?"

"His Queen."

"You have a Queen, Ash?" Lillie asked.

"We'll...talk about that later," he said. "Let's get you home. Mallow and I will walk you there." Lillie smiled and nodded at that, happy that she had friends to support her. Lana handed her egg back as the three went to Lillie's mansion, with Pikachu and Bounsweet on their trainers' shoulders.

"What about us, Ash?" Misty called out.

"Don't worry," Brock said. "Remember that Ash is more than capable of taking care of himself, meaning that Mallow and Lillie will be just fine as long as they're with him. In fact, so will we. From what I hear, Lana and Popplio make a pretty good team. And I've seen Dawn in battle too."

"Not remotely what I meant, Brock. I mean, we hardly know these girls. Sure, you know Dawn, May, and probably Zyon as well, but what about these Alola girls Ash knows?"

"I've only seen Lillie once. Unlike Mallow and Lana, her feelings towards Ash are unclear."

"That's right," Lana said. "However, Lillie does consider Ash and Mallow to be her best friends. She loves both of them as such, but whether or not her love for Ash is romantic is still up to her. If so, Ash is in for some competition."

"What do you mean?"

"What she means, Misty," Dawn began. "Is that Zyon fell in love so hard when he saw her that he could hardly move. I started flirting with Ash because of that."

"No kidding," Lana said with a jealous pout. "I lost count how many times you kissed his cheek." This got Misty's eyebrow to twitch as Brock started holding his ribs due to all the laughing he was doing. Dawn was also sticking her tongue out as well. Sophocles was passing by and shook his head.

* * *

Back with Zyon and May, the latter cleaning up and changing back into her normal clothes, May was continuing her training. She, so far had been able to spot Zyon, even with the blindfold on her head like Dawn had. She kept calm and listened for the footsteps of Zyon's Pokémon as well as Zyon himself. She picked up a psychic trail in the air, knowing that it was Mewtwo. She picked up a lighter one, guessing correctly that it was Mew. She also found some flapping, telling her that Lugia was near. Now, Lucario was the tough one. He was always able to sneak past May and Dawn both. He's even managed to sneak around Zyon as well. She felt a power increase, so she timed her dodge in time to avoid an Aura Sphere going past her. They were about to unleash more attacks when May sensed another presence. She knew it wasn't Zyon though. "Raichu?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Rai Rai!" Raichu said, pointing to Zyon. She took off her blindfold so she could see the interaction between Zyon and Raichu. They both probed Raichu's mind and found that he left Lillie with Ash and the others.

"Well that was nice of you, Raichu," Zyon said before turning to May. "Nice work on reading his mind. You just took the first step to learning telepathy. Now you need to learn how to communicate with your Pokémon using it."

"Okay, I'll try..."

"Don't try. Just do it or don't. If you try, you're bound to struggle. Just let the telepathy flow naturally. Trust me, you'll get less headaches." May nodded and relaxed. She put the focus on Blaziken, who waited patiently behind Zyon.

 _'...Can you hear me, Blaziken?'_ she asked mentally. The Fire-type gave his trainer a nod. She then decided to pull one on Zyon. ' _Good...Now use Blaze Kick on Zyon...'_ Blaziken complied with a smirk, ignited his feet, and kicked Zyon in the rear end, causing him to hit his head on a branch and fall into a lake.

"What was that for!?"

"For putting me through hell with the whole environment thing while I was still in a bikini, dropping me in the mud, falling head over heels for Lillie to the point where Dawn had to be the one to give you the incentive to check on me and Ash..."

"If that's all, then a Double Kick would've done the trick."

"...AND making it feel like you're trying to get ahead of Ash ever since your guys' battle!"

"Sorry..." Zyon murmured.

* * *

Ash, Pikachu, and Mallow got Lillie to her home. It was an extravagant mansion with a lot of land around. Luckily, they didn't run into any problems. If Ash and Mallow had to guess, they'd say that Team Skull knew not to mess with Lillie when they were around, Zyon, Mew, the Mewtwos, and Raichu messed them up bad enough that they needed more time to recover, or that Team Rocket was working on their base. Ash figured that it was a mix of all three.

Once they got to Lillie's mansion, her butler Hobbs greeted them, happy that Lillie was safe and sound. Ash helped Lillie to her room while Mallow went to the kitchen. Much to the servants' chagrin, Mallow made herself at home by doing what she enjoys doing: whipping up a nice meal for everyone. Luckily, she found the ingredients for a delicious potato soup. "As if the Aina Cafeteria and her own house weren't enough," the maid said, a little disgruntled. "But now cooking in Miss Lillie's home? In our kitchen?"

"Miss Mallow is only concerned about Miss Lillie," Hobbs said. "Plus, it saves us from cooking up something." This was one of Mallow's specialties, so naturally, the aroma was alluring. She chose it for two reasons: To make sure Lillie had something to eat, and because she really wanted Ash to try it.

After giving the servants a bowl, she took a serving tray up to Lillie's room. It had a bowl for Lillie, one for herself, and one for Ash, as well as Pokémon food for Pikachu, Rowlet, and Bounsweet. She entered the room and saw an unexpected, but pleasant sight. Lillie was lying down with her head on Ash's lap. Ash, being the good friend that he is, didn't move. "Aww," she said, getting Ash's attention. "Maybe you might have a rivalry with Zyon yet."

"Yeah well, I don't want to lose Serena because of Lillie," he said. "I'd hate to imagine what Zyon's doing now with May."

"He's probably pissing her off even more during their training. Still, it was nice of them to look after Lillie. However, I have this funny little feeling that Melemele Island is about to get crowded."

"I wouldn't doubt it. May, Dawn, and Zyon are here. Then you've got Brock, and now Misty. Since Zyon invited some friends of his, including that irritating cousin he's got, Serena and I won't be able to have a moment to ourselves." Ash and Mallow heard some moaning from Lillie and found that she was stirring awake. "Look who's awake."

"Is that...Mallow's potato soup I smell?" the blonde said, sniffing the air in her room. She looked at the serving tray and saw two of the bowls on it. Mallow had one in her hand, ready to eat it. "It smells so delicious..."

"You can have one bowl," Mallow said. "The other one's for Ash. He and Dawn only had breakfast today."

"It's okay," Ash said. "Lillie can have it. I love to eat, Mallow, especially yours and Brock's cooking. On the other hand, Lillie does need her strength, especially after what happened last night."

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask. Do you know the full details of what happened?"

"Those goons at Team Skull were using me to get to Ash," Lillie explained, a little frustrated that it was brought up. "They even tried to..." At this, Mallow gasped.

"Zyon had Raichu, two Mewtwos, and Mew unleash a combined assault on them and sent them flying away."

"And where were you, Ash? Even with all that happened, you're still Lillie's favorite."

"I-It's okay, Mallow. Ash didn't know it was going to happen."

"She's right. Remember that I was helping May catch an Electric-type Pokémon."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Mallow said. "How did that go?"

"Just great. She got a Pikachu of her own. It's a female, so she calls her Ladychu. The trip wasn't perfect, though."

"Why? What happened?" Lillie asked.

"We had a little run-in with Team Rocket. Speaking of which, we can't mention the Rockets around Zyon. May told me that he has a severe hatred of them after they killed his parents in cold blood."

"He'll have a heart attack if he found out that you fought the Rocket Boss," Mallow said, shocking Lillie. "Oh it's true. He fought him in Unova and the Flare Boss in Lumiose City."

"I actually lost against Giovanni, remember? That Persian of his is way too strong."

"Yeah, but if you had another chance to face him, would you? That Charizard of yours would really come in handy."

"Isn't that the truth?" Ash asked rhetorical as Lillie ate her soup in earnest. She finished both of her bowls in a speed that would rival Ash's usual speed-eating contest, much to his and Mallow's surprise. "Boy, it's a good thing I let you have my bowl."

"Thank you, you guys," Lillie said with a smile on her face. "I feel much better now."

"Glad to hear it. The next time we see Zyon and May will be at the Pokémon School. You can thank him as well."

"Right."

* * *

May was having a harder time focusing on her training with Zyon. As they kept on, he just continued to irritate her more. As it turns out, she tried her hardest to tune him out, but it was to no avail. As she was concentrating on trying to connect with her other Pokémon with her psychic abilities, Zyon kept tossing a pebble onto a wall. The only thing that could make it worse is if Jessie and James showed up.

Luckily, that wasn't the case. However, the pebble was really getting on her nerves. She tried successfully with Ladychu, Blaziken, and Munchlax, but that was it. "C'mon, May," Zyon said, getting her reluctant attention. "You have to focus, even with something like a pebble hitting the wall."

"Maybe I would if you didn't keep it up," she said, trying to use her telepathy to communicate with Glaceon, who was an Ice-Type Eeveeloution with light blue fur.

"What did I just say?"

"How would you like for me to knock you out?"

 **!LEMON WARNING!"**

"And how do you plan on doing that?" May answered his question by returning her Pokémon, grabbing his shirt, and tossing him to the ground. She then got on top of him with a menacing look. "Uh...May?" he asked fearfully.

"I should consider Ash lucky," she said, malice clear in her voice. "I'd hate to be rough with him." Before he could voice his concerns, Zyon found his mouth smashed by May's lips. May then bit and pulled on Zyon's bottom lip hard, something she knew well enough that he wasn't crazy about. She then engaged in a sloppy Kalosian kiss before he could protest. After that, she began sucking on his pulse.

"May...stop," he groaned weakly.

"What are you complaining about? You're the one who pissed me off. I'm just blowing off some steam."

 _'Great,'_ he thought. _'I piss her off and I may die from snu-snu. Ash, if I do die, May, Dawn, and Lillie are yours.'_ Either May didn't hear his thoughts or she didn't care, because she practically tore off his pants. She figured out that, despite his fear that she might kill him like this, he was hard. She removed her biker shorts and lined herself up. "Can't you just...let me take over?"

"Not. A. Chance." She then made the impact as her pussy enveloped his member. As she rode him, May threw off her tank top and pulled Zyon towards her breasts, forcing him to lick and suck on them. She let out a satisfied moan and shoved him back to the ground. She heard a groan from him, tell her that he was about to cum. When he did, she knew he wasn't prepared for this. As he caught his breath, he looked at her in fear, letting her know that she was the dominant one today. "Don't think I'm letting you off that easy," May said, much to his dismay.

 _'Great...I created a nightmare.'_

 **!LEMON END!**

* * *

Meanwhile, Mallow filled Professor Kukui in on everything that has happened. This prompted Dawn and Lana to head over to Lillie's mansion, the latter having to tell her parents about what happened. This also gave Lana a good reason to get away from her sisters, but it also left Misty and Brock behind. When Dawn and Lana arrived, they saw Ash and Pikachu doing push-ups with Mallow lying on top of the Kanto trainer and Bounsweet on top of Pikachu. Lillie was looking at them with amusement.

Mallow was happy that she and Ash could get her through her Team Skull trauma. "Well, ain't that something?" Dawn asked rhetorically, alerting them to her and Lana. "No sign of Kiawe or Sophocles yet?"

"They said they couldn't come," Ash answered. "Kiawe's helping out at his family's farm on Akala Island."

"As for Sophocles," Mallow began. "Apparently, he had a science project he and Togedemaru had to get done."

"So it's just us?" Lana asked. "No Misty or Brock?"

"What about Zyon and May?" Lillie asked.

"He's too busy irritating her," Dawn answered. "Of course, Ash, you could get lucky. You do have four lady friends here." Of course, Ash and Lillie knew what she was implying, made obvious by the blushes on their faces.

"P-p-p-please! Not here!" Lillie stammered. "I-I-I'm not ready yet!" The plea fell on deaf ears as Mallow and Dawn pushed Lillie towards Ash. He caught her in his arms as she blushed up a storm. Dawn did May's signature picturing pose as she smiled. "Please. At least keep the sex out of this, will you?" she pleaded.

"Aww, but sex, if it's consensual, can be a beautiful thing," Dawn said. "Don't you want to have it? Don't you want Ash? After all, you two look so cute there."

"I-i-isn't he waiting for someone?"

"Seriously, if she doesn't want to, she doesn't have to," said Ash.

"Yeah yeah, you're waiting for Serena," Dawn said, putting her arms down. "Ash, you need to get laid. If not by her, then maybe by me, Mallow, or Lana. Obviously, Lillie's still recovering, but we'd be more than happy to strip down and let you..."

"Dawn!" Lillie exclaimed, getting a laugh from the other girls. Ash and Lillie knew they were in for a long night.

CHAPTER 4 END

* * *

 **Okay, that was a long one. Just so you know, Lillie's not an official part of Ash's harem. She's unsure at the moment if she likes him. I may do a separate three- or four-shot featuring Ash with Serena, Lana, Lillie, and Mallow.**


	5. Adventures of Mew!

**Okay, you guys, I was still trying to figure out how to start this one and I basically decided to pick up where I left off. This chapter's mainly going to be focused on Mew, but I will transition to** **Ash and the others** **a few times.**

* * *

 **Adventures of Mew**

The Alola region was peaceful. The only sounds one could hear were the Pokémon in the woods. May smirked to herself as Zyon was knocked out from the angry sex she put him through. At least she got her training done for the night. She covered him up and got her clothes on after that so she wouldn't be so embarrassed. At times, she often wondered why she stuck around Zyon when he irritated her. Then, she remembered the Team Rocket incident back at Hoenn. She still didn't know if she should tell Zyon about the bumbling trio that Ash deals with on a daily basis. She pondered her decision as she looked out at the sunrise. She could see many of Melemele Island's Pokémon frolicking about, wishing that she shared this view with her mentor, knowing how much the Kanto trainer loved seeing them. She heard some stirring and immediately knew that Zyon was awake. "Man, what hit me?" he asked, shaking his head.

"An Onix ran by and knocked you flat," she said. Zyon got all of his wits together and found out that she was lying.

"Haha, very funny." May giggled at the tone Zyon was using, knowing he figured out. "How long have you been up?"

"All night. The only noise I had to deal with was Raichu's snoring." Zyon and May's stomach's growled, much to their embarrassment. "Why don't we head to the Aina Cafeteria. Maybe Mallow's folks might whip something up for us to eat."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Lillie's mansion, the light blonde girl woke up to something cool in her arms. She looked and saw a white fox with light blue fur on its paws. It's eyes were an icy blue as well. Lillie blinked at the Pokémon, which it returned in kind. "Vulpix!" it exclaimed, glad that its 'mother' was awake.

"S-Snowy?" Lillie asked. "Is that you?" The white Pokémon responded by rubbing its head on her chin, causing her to scream. This, in turn, woke up the blonde girl's guests. As Ash woke up, he saw that Lana was on top of him, Dawn was to his right, and Mallow was on his left.

"Lillie?" he asked as his blanket of girls got off of him. "What's wrong?" They then looked and saw the Pokémon on Lillie's bed. "Oh, it's a Vulpix!" he said excitedly.

"Vulpix?" Dawn asked.

 _"VULPIX: ALOLA FORME, THE FOX POKÉMON. AN ICE-TYPE,"_ said Rotom. _"NO MATTER THE TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY, THIS VERSION OF VULPIX MAINTAINS A COOL BODY TEMPERATURE 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK. THE POLAR OPPOSITE OF THE REGULAR VULPIX, THIS ONE IS UNABLE TO USE FIRE-TYPE ATTACKS."_

"Oh yeah," Dawn said. "I forgot about the regional variant thing. As popular as Vulpix is, I'm amazed they can't be found in Sinnoh."

"W-Where can you find one?" Lillie asked.

"Vulpix can be found at Routes 7 and 8 in Kanto, Route 37 in Johto, Mt. Pyre in Hoenn, and the Abundant Shrine in Unova," Ash said, looking at Rotom's database on both variants. "The Alolan Vulpix can be found at Tapu Village and Mount Lanakila with the Alolan Sandshrew and an abundance of Ice-types."

"Those two locations are over on Ula'Ula Island," Lillie pointed out. "Have you two ever caught an Ice-type before, Ash?"

"I actually caught two, one of which is capable of something called Mega Evolution. That one is Glalie, but I caught it as a Snorunt. The other one was a Lapras, but I let it go back to its herd after we found it."

"As for me," Dawn said. "I have a Mamoswine. I caught him as a Swinub, but after evolving, he had the same obedience issues as Ash's Charizard. Luckily, we got over it."

"Wow..." Lillie said in wonder before looking at Snowy. She dug into her bag and pulled out one of the Poké Balls she got a couple days back.

"I'd advise against that," Dawn said. Lillie wondered why until she saw that it was her Master Ball. "With a ball that catches a Pokémon without fail, you're going to want to save it for a tougher Pokémon."

"Oh. Good point." She then dug out the Luxury Ball that Ash got her and smiled. "Snowy is my first Pokémon, so I'd like to make sure it's treated well."

"Well, that Luxury Ball is a good option," Mallow said, Lana agreeing with her. Lillie nodded and put the Ball near Snowy, who pressed the button with its nose. It went inside the Luxury Ball, which shook three times and clicked, showing that she caught it. "Alright, you caught it!"

"Way to go, Lillie!" Lana said excitedly as Ash, Dawn, and Mallow smiled. The moment was slightly interrupted when Ash's cell phone went off.

"Hello?" he answered.

 _"Ash, is Mallow with you?"_ said the voice on the other end of the line. It was Sophocles.

"Yeah, what's up, Sophocles?"

 _"Can you put her on speakerphone? It's kind of an emergency."_ Ash could tell something was up because there was quite a lot of background noise. He did that, getting Mallow's attention.

"What's going on, Sophocles?" she asked.

 _"I'm at your family's restaurant and there's something going on. Zyon and May are here too, but the patrons are mumbling about something. My guess is that they're a bit disappointed that you're not around."_

"Great. If Dad's there, tell him to help out in any way that he can. Have him stall everyone until we get there. We're at Lillie's at the moment, so it's going to be a bit."

 _"Roger that."_ As Ash and the girls left for the Aina Cafeteria, they had no idea that Mew was around, having seen the ordeal and got a bit of a chuckle at Lillie's reaction to Snowy, as well as Ash's 'blanket'. That's when she decided to fly around to see what else she could find.

As Mew flew around, she spotted several little bird Pokémon that looked like woodpeckers, as well as an evolved form of them. She decided that she could fly with them. "Mew!" she said, startling the birds.

"TRUMBEAK!" the bigger bird yelled, angry that Mew startled it. Trumbeak began trying to peck at Mew, but the little Legendary kept dodging. The bird got even more miffed, to the point of firing Bullet Seeds at Mew. However, she used Psychic and stopped the projectiles in their place. This caused the Trumbeak to retreat with its flock of Pikipek. As Mew looked on, confused at what happened, she merely shrugged her shoulders and went on.

* * *

The marketplace was lively, as shoppers were buying their groceries. The Pokémon were observing the trainers with great glee. As several residents and visitors, including Mew, were looking on, Ash, Dawn, Lana, Lillie, and Mallow made their way to the Aina Cafeteria at high speeds to try to relieve Mallow's dad. Mew decided to beat them there by using Teleport to reach him.

When she reappeared, she saw that Abe was extremely busy making chili. While the chef wasn't looking, Mew used her tail to grab the ladle and taste it. She found she liked the taste, which further confused her as to why the customers were grumbling. She remembered, however, that the customers were asking for Mallow, not her father. _'Mew, what are you doing?'_ she heard a voice say in her head. Mew looked and saw that Zyon and May spotted her. _'Get out of there before Mallow's dad spots you.'_

Too late. Abe spotted the long-tailed Legendary in the kitchen. However, he wasn't upset; instead, it was just what he needed. "Hey there, Mew," he greeted. "Would you like to help out?" With the grumbling going on, Mew knew she couldn't say no. "Great. We're going to need the following ingredients..."

"C'mon, man!" an angry customer yelled out. "Where the fuck is Mallow!?"

"She and Ash are on their way," Mallow's father explained. "Just sit tight, have patience, and don't use foul language in my restaurant again or you'll be thrown out."

"I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to that Alola stew," Sophocles said.

"Oh yeah. Kiawe said it was good," Zyon said. Suddenly, the door burst open and Ash held it open for the girls and their Pokémon, naturally with Pikachu on his shoulder. Naturally, Mallow was greeted with cheers as she and Bounsweet went to the kitchen.

"What the hell took you so long?" the angry customer asked. Naturally, Mallow and her dad were irked about it, but Ash and Zyon beat him to the punch. They each took a side, grabbed the swearing patron, and threw him out the door. "I didn't do anything to you guys! What'd you do that for?"

"If you mess with my friends and their families, you mess with me," Ash said. "Besides, this is a family environment."

"Phew! Thanks, Ash. You too, Zyon," Abe said. "I have no idea how much more I was going to take from him."

"No worries. We've dealt with worse."

"There was actually a time Ash and I had to save Gary Oak's sorry butt from getting hit by a shotgun from a rude neighbor when we were kids," Zyon said. "He accidentally trespassed onto his yard and regretted it immediately."

"Well, at any rate, let's get you guys fed. The Alola Stew should be done by now."

* * *

After that fiasco, Mew witnessed her trainer leave with May to get back with their training. Ash decided to find something fun to do that could also help Dawn with her own training. Lana agreed to help her out with it as well, but with Mallow busy at the restaurant, they also had to keep an eye on Lillie somehow. Since Sophocles was testing out new gadgets, Kiawe was working on his family's farm, and Zyon's training could be harsh, Ash and the two bluenettes decided to look after her themselves.

In the meantime, Mew decided to fly around some more to see what else she could find. As she looked around, she heard some angry squawking, so she turned around and saw the Trumbeak and Pikipek from earlier, still angered over their first meeting. The flock charged at her, but she teleported at the last second, causing them to be confused. Trumbeak humorously squawked at the Pikipek in anger.

Mew decided to keep looking around for some fun to have while on Melemele. She looked at the marketplace to see what else she could find. She came upon an elderly woman who was laying some fruit in a bowl for a cat-like Pokémon. It was black, but with red stripes in its fur pattern. The old woman gave the kitten a kind smile and turned to the front of her fruit stand. Mew snuck down by the kitten, surprising it a little. The cat decided to let the little Legendary join it for lunch.

* * *

On the beach, Ash, Dawn, Lana, and Lillie were sitting cross-legged on some large rocks, their hands on their knees as well. As Dawn was meditating, Ash and the two Alolan girls decided to join in. Of course, their Pokémon got in on the fun too, Popplio in front of Lana on its stomach, Snowy in front of Lillie sitting with its front paws on the rock, and Pikachu and Piplup in front of their respective trainers with their arms crossed. The trainers were in deep meditation, but Ash and Dawn glowed a bright blue. Ash's was slightly darker, signaling his Aura activating. Dawn's was a lighter shade, showing the activation of her psychic powers.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Popplio blew up a large balloon. Once it was large enough, Dawn's psychic power latched on. For all she knew, she was lifting an unoccupied boulder. Ash's Aura amplified Dawn's power as well. As a result of the blue-haired coordinator concentrating too hard, the balloon popped, resulting in everyone getting soaked and losing concentration. "Uh, Popplio," Lana said, getting the Seal Pokémon's attention. "We still need to work on that." Popplio merely scratched the back of its head in nervousness as Piplup yelled at it.

"Oh man! Now my clothes are soak!" Dawn exclaimed. She saw that Ash looked away out of respect, knowing that Lillie's dress was especially see-through when it was soaked. Dawn decided to have a little fun by hooking her arm around his shoulder and across his chest, pressing her own on his back. "I forgot how much of a gentleman you are, Ashy. I don't know about Lillie, Lana, and Mallow, but you can look at me whenever you want."

"Joke's on you, Miss Sinnoh Princess," Lana said out of jealousy and a little spite. "He's already seen what's under my clothes."

"Really? Ash, you dog." The entire discussion was making Ash and Lillie red in the face, their noses bleeding, and ears steaming.

"Um, w-what Lana was s-s-saying w-w-was that s-s-she has a swimsuit u-under her clothes," Lillie stuttered out, getting Lana to fall over in dismay since she ruined her joke.

"Oh I see. So our beloved Ashy still hasn't bedded one of you lovely Alola girls after all, huh?"

"The closest I've had were sleepovers with Mallow, but she knows who I'm saving my first time for."

"Is it a girl as pretty as Lillie?" Lana asked. Dawn smirked when the three of them saw the bashful smile and blush on Ash's face, knowing full well who it is. He felt something furry and cool rub against his leg, so he looked and saw Snowy rubbing her head on him.

"Snowy!" Lillie exclaimed as she picked up the Alolan Vulpix. "He never said it _was_ me."

"Well...Okay, but only because Mallow, Dawn, and May, know."

"It's this 'Serena' girl, isn't it?" Lana interrupted. "I heard Dawn mention her before."

"'Serena'?" Lillie asked in wonder.

"She's a Pokémon Performer/Coordinator from Kalos. Like you, Lillie, her first Pokémon was a Fox Pokémon, but it was the Kalos Region's Fire-type Starter Fennekin. She was in Hoenn when I called her the other day. As far as I know, that Fennekin is still a Braixen."

"You'll have to familiarize us with Pokémon in the Kalos Region. I only know about Alola since I was born here and Kanto because of you."

"Well, lucky for you, Ash can get you up to speed on Kalos' Pokémon. If you want, he and I can have you two over for a sleepover."

"Hold it, Dawn," Ash said. "We need to ask Professor Kukui if it's okay."

"Whoops. Silly me."

"If the Professor agrees, I'll tell you about the Kalos Region and its Pokémon there. If not, I'll tell you in the classroom when no one else is around. Deal?"

"Deal!" Lana and Lillie excitedly said. Suddenly, a thought came across Lillie's mind. "How does he do it?" she asked, getting the rest of them to wonder what she was asking. "Zyon. How did he even capture Mew. You and Dawn are his friends, right, Ash? Surely, you two must know how he caught it."

"No clue!" Ash and Dawn exclaimed with a goofy grin on both their faces. Pikachu had the same one as well.

"He has to have some kind of connection. It's not like anybody could just capture Mew unless they had a Master Ball."

"I guess when you think about it, it should be obvious when it comes to Legendary Pokémon and Zyon. The day before he, Dawn, and May enrolled in the Pokémon School was the first time I've seen him since the Summer Camp in Pallet Town. You remember when he saved you a couple days ago, right?"

"Of course. I'm grateful to him for saving me, but I'm still suspicious of him."

"Well, he had a couple of Mew clones, both named Mewtwo. He used them, Mew, and Raichu to scare Team Skull off. That's what caused that big explosion as well."

"If he has them and that Charizard, then who else does he have on him?" Lana asked.

"I say we go find him and ask," Lillie suggested.

"Okay, but if it gets too intense, you and Lana head back to your place, okay?" Lillie and Lana nodded in agreement.

"Don't forget me!" Ash and the girls looked and smiled as Mallow came running up to them. As they moved to find Zyon, they had no idea that they were being followed by Kenny and Drew. Neither had any idea why Dawn was clinging on the kid in the striped shirt or who he was, but it upset Kenny greatly.

* * *

As the group of five traveled through the woods, Dawn was using her powers to get them there safely. She got them through without any trouble, but Ash felt a bit of intensity coming from the mountain, so he had the girls take cover. They saw May and Blaziken on one side as they battled Zyon and a bipedal wolf-like Pokémon with blue, black, and tan fur, pointed ears, red eyes, and spikes on its paws. Blaziken swung with a 'Blaze Kick' as the wolf used 'Rock Smash'. It was evenly matched, which really excited a certain trainer from Kanto along with Pikachu.

Ash's excitement faded, however, when he saw May's condition. She was being worn down, complete with getting sweaty and dirty, and breathing hard. One thing that Ash did admire about his Coordinator friends was their fighting spirit, unaware that they picked it up from him. Blaziken and the wolf clashed before the former grabbed its sparring partner and used 'Flamethrower', doing severe damage to it. The wolf jumped back and formed a blue ball of Aura in its paws. It fired the orb at Blaziken, but he jumped out of the way in time.

Blaziken waited for a telepathic order, but didn't get one. He looked behind him and saw May swaying back and forth. She fell to the side, but was caught by a rushing Ash. "May!" he exclaimed.

"Ash?" she asked wearily. "Wha...What are you..."

"We came to talk to Zyon," answered Dawn. "Good thing too, because if you hit the ground, you'd have been bug-bit."

"What do you...?" Before May could finish her question, Ash felt something bite his rear end. He jumped up with May still in his arms, both yelling in shock. Ash landed on his feet, set May down, and removed the bug from his hind end. "Another Grubbin?"

"Are you two alright?" Zyon asked as he ran up to them.

"I am. May and Blaziken are worn down," Ash answered.

"What is that thing?"

"This is a Grubbin. Careful with the pincers." Zyon took it from Ash's hand and examined it. He examined its face a little, but ended up getting the bridge of his nose pinched. "I said be careful!"

"How often have you dealt with this?"

"I've been getting hit with attacks from Pokémon ever since Pikachu and I arrived here. This includes his 'Thunderbolt'."

"What about before you arrived here in Alola?"

"I've got thirty Tauros at Professor Oak's place that run me over, a Kanto region Muk and a Bayleef that both tackle me, a Gible that bites my head, a Gliscor that crash lands on me, and a Charizard that greets me with a Flamethrower to my face."

"And I thought I went through endurance training," Zyon said as the Alola girls looked in shock. "And those are just _your_ Pokémon?"

"Come to think of it, he did carry a Hippopotas across a bridge back in Sinnoh," Dawn added.

"I've also been burned by a Ponyta, attacked by Spearow and Beedrill at more than a few different times, and I've been hit by a 'Flamethrower' from Serena's Braixen back when it was a Fennekin. Of course, she also got hit in the same way as well."

"Wait, so Serena's on a new journey as well? Let me guess: Her first journey was with you when you went through Kalos, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but I invited her to join me after my battle against the Santalune City Gym Leader Viola."

"I'm just going to leave you two alone when she gets here. You did invite her here, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I invited her here."

"That's good," May said. "Maybe then, you two can get a date." Ash merely gave the Hoenn Coordinator a grin.

"Okay, you got your second wind yet, May?" Zyon asked. May and Dawn saw that he was eager to get back to training, so the former nodded. "Since your here, Dawn, care to join us?"

"Sure thing!" exclaimed the Sinnoh bluenette.

"Piplup!" the little penguin followed up. Good thing too, because Dawn was going to use him in the training. Zyon recalled Lucario and sent out Garchomp.

"So how would Piplup stand a chance against Blaziken and _that_ Pokémon?" Lana asked.

"That's Garchomp. It's native to both Sinnoh and Kalos. As for your question, Piplup's got the advantage since it refuses to evolve, much like Pikachu here. All the Sinnoh Starters are Dual-Types when they fully evolve, just like the Alola and Kalos Starters. Empoleon, Piplup's final Evolution, is a Water/Steel-type, which puts it at a disadvantage against Blaziken's Fighting type and Garchomp's Ground type. The way Piplup is now, Dawn's at an advantage. I just hope she can use it."

"You again!?" a voice exclaimed. They looked and saw Drew and Kenny, the latter about to charge angrily at Zyon. This angered May and Dawn greatly since they assumed their rivals were still in Hoenn. "Now I'm going to get you back for what happened during yours and Drew's battle!"

"What happened?" Ash asked, getting the rival coordinators' attention.

"Drew and Zyon had a battle and Kenny went through the same thing Piplup did with your Gible," Dawn explained.

"You mean he took a Draco Meteor from Garchomp?"

"Yeah, and he's going to pay for it!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Any problem you have with Zyon, Kenny, you know you can take it up with me in a battle. I still need to get the quota in."

"Wait a second," Drew said in realization. "Ash, is that you? What are you doing in Alola?"

"Never mind why," Kenny said. "I'm just happy to take you up on your offer."

After a little bit, Zyon and May sat with water bottles in their hands as they watched the battle. Drew and Kenny were acting as a team, each using one Pokémon, while Ash was allowed to use two. The first was Drew, who sent out Roserade. Ash decided to use Rowlet for this one. This confused Zyon and the rivals since they haven't seen it in action yet. Drew assumed that Roserade had an advantage due to the Poison-type half of it, but the girls knew better. "Roserade, let's start things off with Magical Leaf!" Drew exclaimed, hoping to catch the little Starter off guard.

"Dodge it, Rowlet!" Ash exclaimed. Rowlet flew up in the air, causing the Magical Leaf to miss. "Now, use Aerial Ace!" The Owl Pokémon flew right around and hit Roserade dead-on.

"Roserade, use Poison Powder!" Roserade rubbed its flowers together and emitted a purple cloud. On Ash's order, Rowlet dodged the poison.

"Oh yeah," Zyon said, finally realizing why Ash went with Rowlet. "As a Flying-type, Rowlet's able to dodge attacks like that while in the air."

"Shut up," Drew said through his teeth. He then looked and saw Rowlet behind Roserade. "Roserade, look out!"

"Rowlet, use Peck!" Upon Ash's command, Rowlet humorously pecked at Roserade, the damage being twice as effective due to the Flying-type move being a weakness for Grass-type Pokémon. After that was said and done, Drew and Roserade were ticked.

"Okay, Ash, I guess you knew what you were doing. But our beef's with Zyon. Why challenge us yourself?"

"Because, I've come to realize after I settled my rivalries with Paul and Trip that there's no point in carrying a grudge. That's why when I battle against anyone besides a criminal organization, it's to have fun."

"Of course you would say that. Roserade, Petal Dance!"

"He's aware that that one won't hurt Rowlet in the least, right?" Mallow asked, getting a disgruntled sigh from May.

"Okay, Rowlet, let's finish things off with Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered. Due to Rowlet's speed, Drew couldn't get the order in for Roserade to use 'Protect'. The attack knocked Roserade out cold.

"Roserade is unable to battle!" Dawn yelled excitedly as she directed her left hand to Ash's side. "Rowlet is the winner!"

"You did great, Rowlet," said the Kanto trainer, knowing that Rowlet was asleep. "Get some well-deserved rest."

"Okay, my turn!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Kenny. I don't have Gible on me, so you and Dawn's Piplup are safe." Ash's statement made Zyon burst out in laughter as he realized now how Dawn knew about 'Draco Meteor'.

"I don't know if I should be glad or mad. Empoleon, let's go!"

"Ready when you are, Pikachu! I Choose You!" Pikachu ran up Ash's left arm, across his shoulders, and jumped off from his right hand and into the battlefield.

"Empoleon, let's kick things off with Whirlpool!" Empoleon pointed its head upward, glowed a bright blue, and formed a giant twister of water bigger than Piplup's on top of its beak, much to Ash and Dawn's shock. Empoleon threw the Whirlpool at Pikachu, who tried to dodge it, but got caught instead. "Now use Aqua Jet to ride the current!"

"That's not good," May said, her and Ladychu worried about their friends.

"And it only gets worse," Lana said. "Since Empoleon launched the Whirlpool, it can slide on the wall of it. It doesn't hurt Pikachu as much because he's an Electric-type, but with a situation like that, Kenny might have the upper hand right now." Zyon and the girls were worried, but Mew, who was watching from the sky, was curious as to how the battle would end.

"Pikachu, send an Electro Ball against the current!" Ash exclaimed. Empoleon's Aqua Jet caused it to have so much momentum that it couldn't dodge the Electro Ball in time. The attack dispersed the Whirlpool and created an electric field. Pikachu got in Empoleon's view with a smirk on his face, eagerly awaiting Ash's next order. "Now, use Volt Tackle!"

"Empoleon, use Double Team and Steel Wing!" Kenny exclaimed. Empoleon created several illusions and attacked Pikachu with its steel-coated wings, forcing him to keep dodging.

"Okay, that's it!" Ash exclaimed as he crossed his arms, which activated his Z-Ring, moved his arms to the lower right of his body, moved them in a circle until his right hand was to his left shoulder and his left hand to his right elbow.

"It's Gigavolt Havoc!" May exclaimed, shocked that Ash chose to use the Electrium-Z as opposed to the Pikanium-Z.

"Isn't that the Z-Move he used on Raichu?" Zyon asked, getting May to nod.

"Time to go all out, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, the energy surging right through Pikachu. "Gigavolt Havoc!" The attack was fired from Pikachu's fist and was large enough to clear the illusions and hit the real Empoleon. When the light and dust cleared, the giant penguin was knocked out.

"Empoleon is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner! That means that the victory goes to Ash!" Dawn exclaimed, happy that Ash won.

"I have got to learn how to do a Z-Move," Zyon said.

"Rest well, Empoleon," Kenny said. "You deserve it. Well, Ash, I guess this makes us even."

"Good battle, Kenny," said Ash, extending his hand out. "You had us on the ropes there." As the two shook hands, a thought came across the Kanto trainer's mind. "I do have a question, though."

"Yeah, what is it?" Drew asked.

"Why is it that you guys have fun battling me, but you get frustrated when it comes to Zyon?" The question shocked both rivals, but they thought of an idea off the bat.

"Um...W-Well...Y-You see..." Kenny stuttered out, getting a glare from Dawn.

"Oh, would you look at the time? Got to go," said Drew as they left.

"What was that all about?" Ash asked.

"It's a long story," Dawn said. "I'll tell you once we get back to Professor Kukui's place."

As Zyon and the coordinators proceeded to get back to training after getting pumped up from the battle, Dawn kissing Ash on the cheek, Lillie stepped up. "Lillie?" Zyon asked.

"Zyon...I was wondering...If you could help me train Snowy here?" asked the new trainer.

"Um, well...It takes a long time and a great deal of patience to be a great trainer. I-I mean, c'mon, you just seen Ash battle and that was pretty cool. But then again, you can't find a better teacher."

"Alright, lover boy," May said, a scowl coming across her face as she grabbed his arm. A small part of Ash thought May looked cute when she was mad. "That's enough out of you! Sorry, Lillie. He's not himself today."

"Oh. O-Okay. M-Maybe we can try when you three aren't training," Lillie said, a little dejected. Ash and Mallow noticed this, so they silently agreed to do what they could while letting both Zyon and her own personal experience be her main teachers.

* * *

Up in the air, Mew giggled a little at May and Zyon's interaction before flying off, having one last look at Ash and Pikachu in amazement at what they were capable of. She off into the air as the Trumbeak from before tried to use 'Drill Peck' to attack her. Unfortunately, Mew saw a carnival at Hau'oli City and got curious, which meant that she flew down and caused the Trumbeak to miss, much to its irritation. As Mew checked it out, she was amazed at all the rides. She flew by a cotton candy vendor, who smiled and gave her some of the sweet treat, not even caring about the fact that Mew is a Legendary Pokémon. As she enjoyed her treat, Trumbeak landed right beside her, angry that she continued to make her mad.

Mew, oblivious about the events, gave the bird some cotton candy. Thinking she was asking it for a truce, Trumbeak relented and accepted the sweet, finding it to its liking. Trumbeak went down and got some of its own, went back up to sit with Mew, and just sat there, the two of them eating the candy. This marked an interesting day for Mew, who spotted Ash taking Mallow, Lillie, and Lana to the Ferris Wheel in an attempt to cheer Lillie up. The Legendary finished her candy and decided to join them, forgetting about Lillie's fear. When the car that Ash, Lillie, Pikachu, and Snowy were in got to the top, Mew teleported in, unexpectedly making her shriek in fear. "Mew, I told you about that the other day," Ash said, slightly chastising her.

"Mew," she said as she scratched the back of her head.

* * *

Meanwhile, another cruise ship was approaching the Alola region. Among the passengers was a dark-skinned girl with hazel eyes, long, wild purple hair with gold bands in it, a cream-colored top with a pink collar and cuffs, a pink skirt with a big ribbon, white leggings with gold at the end, and pink-and-white shoes. Out from her hair came a little Dragon-type Pokémon that had its tusks pointing to the side. It was green with red eyes, a dark green horn on its head, a light green collar, and short legs and arms. "We're almost there, Axew," said the trainer. "Look out, Alola, because the Dragon Tamer is here!"

They got to the port as the trainer noted that no one was there to greet her. She puffed her cheeks in anger as she got her phone out.

CHAPTER 5 END

* * *

 **Okay, that was fun. It was tough to focus on Mew for most of the time, so I put some focus on Ash, Dawn, and the Alola girls as you can see. It was fun doing Mew's interactions with Trumbeak, though. I thought that was fun. Anyway, I bet you guys can tell who appeared at the end of the chapter. See you on the next one.**


	6. The Battle of Wits Begins!

**Okay, now it's time for another one of Ash's previous traveling companions to show up. I'm pretty sure by now, you know who it is.**

* * *

 **The Battle of Wits Begins** **!**

During the intense training, Zyon was having a blast. The reason why: May and Dawn were keeping up with him and Garchomp, especially Dawn. As the training went on, he noticed that Dawn's style slightly changed due to utilizing a bit of Ash's battle style in it. He knew that the two of them had been spending a lot of time together since they arrived together, but he had no idea Ash had helped her this much. "You see it too, don't you?" May asked him.

"Yeah," he answered. "What kind of training did she and Ash do?"

"It's not just their training; it's their bond. Serena aside, of all the girls Ash had hung out with, it's Dawn he shares the strongest bond with. As such, Dawn's developed a style like his: Spontaneous and unexpected. The psychic training helps as well, so she's got both quantity and quality." The two lovers looked up and saw, to their shock, a 'Bubblebeam' within Piplup's 'Whirlpool'. The little penguin threw the 'Whirlpool' to the ground, where it spun like a top and dispersed the bubbles, hitting both fully-evolved Pokémon simultaneously. To finish the job, the 'Whirlpool' dispersed itself and hit Garchomp and Blaziken as well. "See? Spontaneous and unexpected," May said, herself and Zyon wet from both attacks. Dawn was too, but she embraced it.

"You know, May, you and Mallow would win a wet T-shirt contest!" Dawn said, making May blush hard enough to make Bounsweet look pale.

"Very funny! Maybe you should go commando around Ash!" They heard Zyon's phone ring, so he paused the training.

"I wish. I'm only offering myself to Ash if something happens between him and Serena. Have you seen her picture."

"Yeah. She's pretty and she and Ash are in love with each other. Really, she's the lucky one."

"Oh! Iris, I had no idea you were here!" Zyon exclaimed, getting the girls' attention.

 _"How could you not!?"_ the Dragon-Master-in-Training asked. "Can't you see through Mew's eyes or something!? I'm at the dock! Or are you so busy plowing May that you can't sense your own cousin arriving!?"

 _"O-Okay, hold on a sec."_ Zyon then used his psychic power to locked on to Mew and see through her eyes. Using the little Legendary, he went to the Melemele docks, but no sign of his cousin. "Uh, Iris? _Are you sure you're at Melemele dock?"_

"Yeah, I'm sure."

 _"Check the welcome sign,"_ he said. Iris did as told and was shocked at the name, so much that she and Axew fell over. _"Well?"_

"It says I'm at Malie City."

 _"Now who's the little kid?"_

 _"Just get your ass over here before I put you on a Druddigon's lunch menu!"_ Iris exclaimed over the phone before hanging up.

"Nice hearing you too, baby cousin," Zyon said in a sarcastic tone. "Okay, girls. Training's done for the day. Get on home, get cleaned up, and find Ash and the others. I have to pick up Iris over at Malie City Dock, wherever that's at."

"You're going to need Charizard," Dawn said as she and May checked the PokéNav. "Malie City's over at Ula'ula Island."

"Got it." With that, he returned his Pokémon and took off with Charizard. May returned Blaziken as well.

"We have been training hard," May said. "I'd like to clean up for school tomorrow."

"Right," said Dawn. "You get back to your cabin and get a shower. I'll be over at the professor's to get one."

"It's almost like you and Ash live together."

"Maybe, but when Serena gets here, I'm not interfering." May gave her fellow coordinator a nod as they went different directions. Of course, one thought crossed Dawn's mind: _'On a scale of 1 to 10, Serena's an 11, way past perfect. I bet she's even more beautiful in person. Who would've thought Ash had his own Goddess?'_

* * *

At Hau'oli City, Ash and the Alola girls were walking to Professor Kukui's house, hoping he would let them have a sleepover. Ash had to carry Mallow on his back due to her running out of energy between the fiasco at the restaurant and the fun they had at the carnival. Lillie and Lana had plenty, though, so Lana carried Popplio, Lillie carried Snowy, and Ash had Pikachu and Bounsweet on his shoulders. As they continued walking, they came across Dawn, who was headed in the same direction. She greeted them with a smile and kissed Ash's cheek, causing Lana to pout in jealousy. "How's everyone doing?" Dawn asked.

"Just fine," Ash answered, getting a nod from Lillie. "Mallow's out of it for the day, so we're headed back to the house."

"Sounds like a plan. We all need a shower, especially you, Ash, because an old friend is here."

"Really?" Lillie asked. "Is it Serena?"

"We all wish. It is a surprise, though."

* * *

After asking Professor Kukui if they could have a sleepover, he mentioned that they couldn't have picked a worse time. After mentioning a close friend that was coming over, he recommended camping at the beach. While they all got their showers, Lillie had Hobbes drop off three sleeping bags for herself, Lana, and Mallow, knowing Ash and Dawn had their own. The sun set and Ash and the girls were stargazing. It was a good night for it, but Lillie was a bit worried. Everyone else knew why: Team Skull. Of course, Ash and Pikachu would easily deal with them if they even showed up. "What a beautiful night," Dawn said.

"Yep," Ash responded. "Makes you want to take the day off from school."

"Hey, Lillie," said Mallow, getting the blonde girl's attention. "With any training Zyon puts you and Snowy through, what do you say to me and Ash helping to fill any blanks?"

"That's a great idea. That way, we can help you find your battle style."

"Do you think you can find the time to do that while you're spending time with Serena?" Lillie asked.

"Of course. She won't be here for a few days. I'm getting impatient just thinking about it."

"Okay. You bet. If I feel like Zyon's leaving anything out, I'll ask you guys for help."

"You better keep on your toes, though," Dawn warned. "Zyon has a tendency to pull pranks to test your concentration. May's a frequent victim, but I've been on the receiving end myself."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Well, it's getting late and I'm getting tired," said Mallow, getting a nod from the others.

"Me too," Ash said. Soon, everyone was in their sleeping bags dozing off when he just thought of something. "Hey, Lana?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"What do you say we go fishing some time this week?"

"I'd like that. If Serena arrives, you can bring her as well."

"Sounds like a plan." With that, both students dozed off.

* * *

The next day, Ash and the girls were rushing to the Pokémon School, hoping to beat everyone there. They ran up the ramps and to the classroom when Ash tripped up. The girls bumped into him and fell on top of him, first Mallow, then Lana, then Lillie, and finally Dawn. Bounsweet fell over the edge, but Ash reached down and grabbed her. Bounsweet climbed up his arm and back on Mallow's shoulder as they all got back up. They made their way into the classroom dusting themselves off. From what they could tell, no one else was in the classroom. "You know, that was pretty funny, Ash," said a familiar voice. They looked in the direction of the voice and found Zyon sitting in a branch. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah, thanks for asking," Ash said. "Dawn told me you guys had to cut the training short. How come?"

"I had to play fetch. I wound up having to retrieve a friend of ours from Ula'ula Island. Unfortunately, it's not a certain Queen of yours." Soon, May, Sophocles, and Kiawe rolled in, so all they waited for were either Principal Oak or Professor Kukui to come in. "Hey, Ash."

"What's up, Zyon?"

"When Serena gets here, try to find a spot where you two can get away from everyone else, okay?"

"Already working on that," Ash responded. Soon, Principal Oak came in with a big smile on his face.

"Okay, class, for those who don't remember, I'm Principal Samson Oak. I'm the guy who teaches about Regional Variants here in Alola. Now, as a review, can one of you tell me what causes the change in appearance for certain Pokémon?" The ones who have been in the class the longest knew that the question was directed mainly at Zyon, May, and Dawn. May was flustered and Zyon wasn't ready due to the training still fresh on his mind. Dawn, however, raised her hand. "Yes, Dawn?"

"Regional Variants are caused by the climate of the Alola region and affect Pokémon who are mainly on the Kanto PokéDex, such as Lillie's Vulpix or the Exeggutor I've seen around here," she said.

"That is correct. As you can probably tell, Regional Variants are my specialty. From what I understand, it's not just the Alola region that has a special climate. Rumor has it that there are many other regions that have it as well."

"Really? Like where?" Kiawe asked.

"I'm afraid that I don't know where the exact whereabouts are. Maybe someday in the future, when Ash goes on another journey, we'll know more about them."

"Let's hope he remembers to let us know," Sophocles remarked.

"Very funny," came the response from Ash.

* * *

Several hours later, Komala rang the bell, signifying the end of school for the day. As promised, Ash went with Lana to go fishing. Lillie was going to walk with them before going with Zyon to train. Much to Lana's chagrin, Mallow and Dawn decided to join them. "So what's the plan for the day?" Ash asked.

"Zyon decided to start helping me train Snowy today," Lillie answered. "You guys?"

"We'll be fishing," Lana said, subtly glaring at Mallow and Dawn.

"I'm hoping to catch a big one!" Ash hollered in excitement, getting Lana and Mallow to smile in admiration.

"Ash?" a familiar voice asked, getting Ash to groan for the umpteenth time of the day. Earlier, they had to put up with Principal Oak's Pokémon puns. "Ash!"

"Please tell me that's not who I think it is." They looked at the hill overlooking the entrance of the pier and spotted Iris waving at the Kanto student.

"Yep. Iris," Dawn said, deadpanning just like him. Too stoked to contain her excitement, Iris ran down the hill as Ash and Dawn looked to the right and the left. Coming from the left, they spotted a herd of Tauros about to pass in front of her...or run her over like they do Ash.

"Look out!" Ash yelled. Iris stopped and looked to her left, which meant that the Tauros sent her and Axew flying into the water. They swam up to the pier to get out of the water, which Ash and Dawn helped her out with. "Are you out of your mind!? You and your Pokémon could've been killed!"

"Seriously, Iris!" Dawn added, her and Ash both glaring her down. "A heard of Tauros is no joke!"

"Sorry. I guess I got overexcited," Iris sheepishly said. "It kind of reminded me of the Bouffalant back in Unova."

"Oh yeah. Didn't they attack anyone who wasn't wearing an afro?"

"Yep. For a little kid, you managed to retain that." Iris saw that it had the intended effect of making Ash angry. She then spotted Mallow, Lillie, Lana, and their Pokémon, getting a mischievous grin. "I take it back. You're not a little kid."

"Um...Thanks...I guess..."

"You're a sly, dirty dog."

"Oh, very funny!" Ash exclaimed, blushing a shade of red that got his former traveling companion to laugh.

"This is Iris?" Mallow asked.

"Yep," she said with a hint of pride in her voice. "Dragon-Master-in-Training and future Leader of the Opelucid City Gym in Unova, hand-picked by Drayden himself."

"Uh, I thought you didn't want that position," Zyon said as he approached the group, getting a glare from his cousin.

"She isn't after Ash, is she?" Lana asked.

"I hope not," answered Mallow. "From what I can tell, he wasn't exactly exaggerating when he told me about her."

"So, tell me, Ash. Which one's the cook?" Iris asked, putting her arm around his shoulders. "I bet it's the pretty blonde one." This got Lillie to blush up a storm.

"Hey!" Mallow hollered in anger. "I happen to be the chef here! And he's waiting for someone else!"

"Meet Mallow," Ash said, introducing the two. "Like me, she's pretty headstrong."

"And the other two?"

"My name's Lana, and I'm Alola's greatest fisherwoman," said the smallest of the group. "I even caught a Milotic one time." This got Iris to gaze in wonder.

"That was Lillie and you know it," Mallow pointed out as she and Ash glared at their friend, who stuck her tongue out. "Sorry about that. Lana's got a sense of humor that tends to get on our nerves."

"Well, at least we know who the little kid is now." Iris then looked at Lillie. "And you are?"

"My name's Lillie," said the blonde, bowing respectfully. The action got Iris to nudge Ash in a teasing manner. She then held up her four-legged friend. "This is my first Pokémon Snowy. I actually just started training Pokémon."

"Is that a Vulpix?" Iris asked.

"Yeah," Ash answered. "She's an Alolan Vulpix. Why don't you go pet her?" Iris took Ash's word and went up to pet Snowy, not knowing that Ash and Mallow were snickering. Zyon saw what Ash was doing, but decided that it was the best way to knock Iris down a few notches.

"Aww! You're a cute little one, aren't you? Nice and cool as well. Wonder how come?" Snowy responded by firing off a 'Powder Snow' blast, forcing Iris to jump out of the way. "What the hell was that!?"

"Did I forget to mention that Alolan Vulpix are Ice-types?" Ash asked in a smart-alack manner. "My mistake." They then saw that Iris was getting red with anger and embarrassment at the fact that her best friend pulled a prank on her of all people.

"Ash, you're going to pay for that!"

"Hey, will you just calm down? It's the climate. Some of the Pokémon on the Kanto PokéDex have Alolan variations due to it. You'll have a reason to get an Exeggutor while you're here."

"What do you mean?" Iris asked, raising a brow.

"What I mean is that here in Alola, Exeggutor are combination Grass/Dragon-types."

"...You're joking. You have to be."

"Nope. Seen one on my first day of class." He saw that Iris was still suspicious, so Ash showed her a picture of the regular Exeggutor, then he pointed to the Alolan version that was passing by. This Exeggutor was 35' tall, bipedal, and had a tail with a fourth head. "Believe it or not, Iris, _that_ is a Dragon-type."

"Is there anything else I should know before I approach it?"

"Yeah," Ash said. "Watch out for the tail. Each one of Exeggutor's heads have a mind of their own and the head on the tail is no different." As Iris ran off to check out the Exeggutor, Lillie bowed to say 'goodnight', reminding Ash and the others about her and Snowy's training with Zyon. "Now, about that fishing trip."

"Actually, I'd like to watch this," Lana said. "We can do the fishing trip some other time. Right now, this is entertainment."

"Do you think Ash and Iris will get along?" Lillie asked Zyon as they left town. "It's clear they know each other from one of Ash's previous journeys."

"There's bound to be some arguing, but there's also a balanced love-hate relationship between the two," Zyon explained. "May told me that he's argued with the female of the group on all of his journeys from Misty to Iris, including herself and Dawn. They made up by the end of the day, though. Any argument he's ever had with Serena, I'm unaware of."

"How come?"

"Because none of Ash's previous traveling companions reunited with him in Kalos, which means that the only things we know they went through were Ash's Gym Battles, the Garchomp Incident, the Lumiose City Crisis, and Serena's Showcases. I've got no idea what else those two went through, but I do know about the Pokémon Doctor Brock, the Pokémon Watcher Tracey Sketchit, and the Pokémon Connoisseur Cilan. Ash and Serena had to have had a third person with them." This got Lillie to think about it, but she knew that she was going to have to ask Ash or Mallow one about the third person that traveled with him and Serena in Kalos.

* * *

Back with the others, one could say that Iris was about to have some fun. Of course, that was the understatement of the year because she was about to make a mistake. The classmates present could see it, but Ash and Dawn both knew that when it came to Dragon-types like Alolan Exeggutor, Iris had tunnel-vision syndrome, meaning that when she set her mind to something, she was hellbent to get it done. Iris climbed the trees and got ready to jump on Exeggutor. When it passed her, she leapt off a tree and hugged its neck. This startled the poor Pokémon, who began to sway its neck and stomp around to shake her off. "H-Hey! This is fun!" she exclaimed.

"'Don't be such a kid, Ash!' 'Be careful, Ash!'" Mallow exclaimed as she, Dawn, Ash, and Lana were barely keeping steady. "Hypocrisy at its finest!"

"Yeah, well, it looks like the townfolk are getting upset!" Ash exclaimed back. "I probably shouldn't have mentioned Exeggutor when you think about it!"

"No, you did the right thing, Ash!" Dawn said. "It's not your fault! Iris just likes Dragon-types!"

"Either way, we need to stop that rampaging before Iris gets into trouble!" Ash and Dawn looked at each other and nodded before throwing a couple of Poké Balls into the air. Rowlet popped out of Ash's while Dawn's revealed a white Pokémon with wings, feet, and red and blue triangles on its body.

"Who is that Pokémon?" Lana asked.

 _"THAT'S MY CUE,"_ Rotom said. " _TOGEKISS, THE JUBILEE POKEMON, A FAIRY/FLYING-TYPE. TOGEKISS ENJOY IT WHEN THEY FIND AREAS WITH PEACE AND QUIET. THEY SHOWER RESPECTFUL PEOPLE WITH GIFTS OF KINDNESS."_

"Rowlet, Togekiss!" Ash began. "You need to calm that Exeggutor down and keep Iris out of trouble!" Both Flying-type Pokémon nodded at Ash's order and flew in Iris' direction. Ash and the girls followed and spotted Rowlet getting to Exeggutor's tail, dodging every time it was about to swipe him. Togekiss was talking to one of the heads on the neck. The one on the tail poked up and saw Iris hugging its neck. It lowered its neck down to where Iris was at ground level. She looked and saw the concerned look on the faces of Ash and the girls. Dizzy, Iris slid off the neck and was caught in Ash's arms. "Are you three okay?"

"Y-Yeah," Iris said, Axew and Exeggutor speaking in agreement.

"Sorry about that, Exeggutor," Ash said. "Iris here happens to be a huge fan of Dragon-types. She's the chosen successor to a Dragon-type Gym." The Coconut Pokémon nodded in understanding.

 _"EXEGGUTOR: ALOLA FORME, THE COCONUT POKEMON. A GRASS/DRAGON-TYPE,"_ Rotom said. _"EXEGGUTOR IN ALOLA ARE THE TALLEST POKEMON IN THE REGION, MAKING FOR PERFECT DISGUISES AS PALM TREES. EACH HEAD HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN, AND THE FOURTH ONE ON THE TAIL IS NO EXCEPTION."_

"You know, you could've told me about Exeggutor's many brains," Iris said after Exeggutor left.

"I tried to warn you about the tail, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but even still, in its normal state, Exeggutor's part of the Kanto and Johto PokéDexes, isn't it? You should've told me about that!"

"You were in the Johto region, so you should've figured that one out yourself!"

"Hello! Does 'Dragon Master' ring a bell? The ones I've seen in Johto weren't Dragon-types in any sense of the word! They were just Grass-types!"

"And Psychic."

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! THE FACT THAT YOU PUT ME IN DANGER BECAUSE OF A LACK OF INFORMATION SHOWS HOW IGNORANT YOU ARE TO MY SAFETY!"

"Oh boy," Dawn said. "Here we go again."

"HOW MANY MORE OF YOUR FRIENDS DID YOU DO THAT TO, ASH KETCHUM!?"

"NONE OF THEM BECAUSE THEY USED COMMON SENSE!" Ash shouted back to his former traveling companion. "WHEN YOU SEE A DRAGON-TYPE, THAT FLIES OUT THE WINDOW!" Mallow and Lana held on to each other in fear as to what was going to happen next while Ash and Iris gave each other a harsh glare.

 _"YOWZAH! THE TENSION IS HOTTER THAN A MAGMAR'S BODY HEAT!"_ said Rotom. Soon, the glaring contest was revealed to be a front, as Ash and Iris gave each other a sly smile before busting out laughing and hugging one another.

"I missed you, Ash," Iris said.

"I missed you too, Iris," he said back. "A part of me anyway."

"By the way, have you noticed anything different about me?" She twirled around once, hoping her wishes came true regarding him. Though they got along like brother and sister, Ash did notice something different about her.

"Yeah. Your curves are showing. You're filling out." It shocked Iris, but the statement made her happy at the same time. She hugged him again, but unlike Dawn, she didn't hook her leg around his waist.

"You know, if you weren't like a brother to me, I'd give you a...'special' treat for noticing. This girlfriend of yours must be someone special if she opened your eyes to the opposite sex. You've matured, Ash. Here, you have three, maybe four lovely ladies wanting you to make them cry out in ecstasy while you play with their bodies, but you save yourself for one girl. I bet she's a beautiful blonde just like Lillie." Iris' statement got all four of them blushing in embarrassment.

"You must be bored if you're making perverted jokes like that. If I had to guess, you couldn't find anyone for a good time, so you're trying to hook me up with one of my classmates to satisfy a voyeur fetish, right?"

"Oh you think you're so clever, don't you!?" Iris shouted with a red face. "You know I can cancel the 'brother-sister' part of our friendship, pull you to the woods, and make you put your claim on me there if I wanted, right!?"

"I think she does have an attraction," Lana said to a shocked Mallow and Dawn.

"If you think you can do that, you've got another thing coming!" Ash exclaimed. "Maybe you should hook up with someone who can actually put up with you for one night!"

"I wouldn't do one night stands whether I was a virgin or not and you know it!" The two continued to glare at each other for some time before Ash pinched the bridge of his nose. "What's wrong? I swear I don't have any stinky perfume."

"You don't. I just need to lie down." With that, he walked in the direction of Lana's house with her and Mallow, knowing that Professor Kukui still had his friend over.

"Oh no! We're not done here! Ash!"

"Sorry," Dawn said. "I know you two are happy to see each other, but you know how your arguments get. I never heard one like that before, not even between Zyon and May."

"Yeah, I guess I am a little unbearable to be around sometimes. It's just that I always saw Ash as the perfect foil. I missed him because of that. He's not the same Ash I knew in Unova and the Decolore Islands, but that's a good thing. He must've matured during Kalos."

"Well, he still gets excited about seeing new Pokémon, but for the most part, yeah. By the way, how's Cilan?"

"Beats me," Iris answered. "Last I saw him, we separated in Goldenrod City in Johto. After that, we haven't spoken to one another." This got Dawn to think for a second. "Dawn?"

"Sorry. Trying to think of a way to get Cilan here. If he's a connoisseur, there's no way he'd be able to resist the dishes served here. The problem's getting in contact with him since you don't have his number."

"Silly me."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the forest, Zyon and Lillie were on their way to a good clearing for training. He didn't want to put her through anything past the basics this time around. Seeing Iris nearly get blasted by Snowy's 'Powder Snow' let him know that she knew that trick. Now, he just needed to help the Alolan Vulpix learn some more moves. While Zyon used his power to look through Piplup's eyes, he now knew just how intense Ash and Iris' arguments got. "Dammit, Iris," he said after getting back to normal. "I told you _not_ to give Ash too hard of a time."

"What's going on?" Lillie asked. "Is Ash okay?"

"He's fine. He just has a headache, so he's with Mallow and Lana at the latter's house. I had no idea that she's gotten outright dirty with her jokes over the years."

"That must be a friendly way to put it. He's never argued with me, Mallow, or Lana. I mean, he did argue with Sophocles when they were trapped at the mall one time by Team Skull and he and Kiawe get into friendly competitions, but that's about it."

"How did Team Skull trap everyone in the mall?"

"Accidental lockdown." What Zyon didn't know was that Lillie was told not to mention Team Rocket, so she found Team Skull to be the perfect cover. "Still, Ash and Sophocles did work together to take them down."

"Wait, Sophocles is that chubby kid with the round Pokémon, right?"

"Togedemaru, yes. Ash and Pikachu's cooperation with those two lies in Togedemaru's Lightning Rod ability combined with Pikachu's 'Thunderbolt'. She's not powerful on her own, but with Pikachu as a teammate, her 'Discharge' and 'Zing Zap' attacks are really effective."

"I see," Zyon said. "Has Ash ever tried that with that Z-Move he used on Kenny? The 'Gigavolt Havoc'?"

"I don't think they have ever thought about that," said Lillie. "Anyway, so why bring me here?"

"Here, we'll be able to focus on training without distractions. I'm only going to put you through the basics for now. We'll get to the nitty gritty when you're ready." Lillie nodded in determination as Zyon turned to Raichu. "Okay, Raichu, are you ready?" he asked.

"Rai?" the Electric-type asked.

"Yes you. Raichu, I know how powerful you are, but even though Snowy is newly hatched, it's our first time facing an Alolan version of a Pokémon, and a Vulpix at that. We're here to train Lillie, so I need you to help out, okay?" Raichu puffed his cheeks out, crossed his arms, and turned his head. "Oh, I get it. You don't like holding back your power because of our battle with Ash and Pikachu, right." As Lillie's shocked expression came at the realization of the battle, Raichu spoke in the affirmative.

"You guys battled Ash on your first day here?" Lillie asked.

"Yeah, Raichu's still sore about that one. It got to the point where I let him use more than I normally do because of Pikachu's speed and power, but Ash and Pikachu still won thanks to that Z-Move."

"So Raichu was on the receiving end of Ash's 'Gigavolt Havoc' too, huh?"

"You really admire him, don't you? Like a crush?"

"I don't know about a crush. He's done so much for me, though. I'd like to repay him. Same with you. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I'd really like for you to teach me how to battle."

"Okay. You got it," Zyon said, giving a soft smile at the request before turning to Raichu. "Here that, Raichu? We're doing this whether you like it or not." Raichu gave a disgruntled look, walked over to Snowy, and told the little fox to give him her best shot. Lillie got the idea and gave an order.

"Snowy, use Powder Snow at full blast!" Snowy did as ordered and wound up turning both Zyon and Raichu into icicles. Lillie nervously chuckled at the sight.

"Not...bad..." Zyon said. _'Oh great. Dawn's going to have a field day when she finds this out.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Lana's house, Iris and Dawn arrived to check on Ash. Naturally, they worried about him when it came to a lot of things. As much as he and Iris argued, they still cared about each other. This reasoning meant that Iris wanted Ash to be okay; If nothing else, she wanted him to be ready for the mischief they could get into. They both got to meet Lana's sisters, Harper and Sarah, and found out just how energetic they could get. The two of them got to playing with Piplup and Axew, much to Lana's frustration. "Axew, stay calm," Iris said.

"Same with you, Piplup," said Dawn. Of course, Piplup couldn't take it anymore, so he used 'Bubblebeam' to get the twins off of him and Axew. "What did we say?"

 _"OH! I FORGOT TO SCAN THEM,"_ said Rotom, who was helping Mallow in the kitchen. _"PIPLUP, THE PENGUIN POKEMON. A WATER-TYPE. WITH A SENSE OF SELF-PRIDE, PIPLUP MIRRORS LITTEN IN THAT IT HAS A PROBLEM BONDING WITH HUMANS. AS THE SINNOH REGION'S WATER STARTER, PIPLUP'S SWIMMING SKILLS RIVAL THOSE OF POPPLIO'S."_ The PokéDex then turned to Axew. _"AXEW, THE TUSK POKEMON. A DRAGON-TYPE. AXEW MARKS ITS TERRITORY WITH ITS TUSKS. IF THE TUSKS SHOULD FALL OFF, THEY CAN REGENERATE BACK GOOD AS NEW. AXEW IS ALSO GREAT AT CLIMBING."_

"Oh, so you're Ash's new PokéDex?" Iris asked. "That's actually pretty cool. I saw you scan Exeggutor earlier."

 _"YEP. THE ROTOMDEX AT YOUR SERVICE. I'M HERE TO ASSIST ASH AND HIS CLASSMATES WHENEVER THEY NEED INFORMATION ON A POKEMON."_

"Rotom's been a huge help at the school," Mallow said, bringing her Alola stew to Ash in Lana's guest room. Iris and Dawn followed in and spotted Lana watching over him while practice fishing using a rod with a string attached to it. At the end of the string was a piece of Pokémon food that Pikachu and Popplio tried to get. They found Ash with an ice pack on his head. "You know, I always did think Ash looked cute when he's asleep."

"Yep," the other girls said. Mallow shut the door and began to remove her overall shorts and tank top, much to the shock of the other girls and Iris' approval. The latter even gave a whistle. "You're lucky Ash isn't awake right now to see you in your lingerie," Dawn said.

"I wouldn't mind if he saw me or not," said Mallow after removing her bra and getting her nightclothes on. "In fact, I'd welcome it. Now's not the right time, but I was hoping he'd hold my naked body up close and under the covers to do the deed to me." As Mallow stated this, the faces on the bluenettes turned red, knowing that they had similar fantasies. "In fact, if it weren't for Serena, we'd have a six-way."

"Six-way?"

"Yep. Ash, me, you, Lana, Lillie, and Iris." The statement from the chef caused Iris to fall over in shock. "That way, Iris can get more than a view."

"But-But-But-But...!" Iris stammered with a massive blush on her face.

"It is getting late," said Lana before Iris could clarify her friendship with the only male human in the room. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like for one of us to show some decency instead of strip in the room with the only man in here." She said this with her nose in the air as she headed to the bathroom.

"You know, Mallow, if you really liked Ash, you'd have stayed out of your night clothes and cuddled up to him in just your panties," Iris said. She and Dawn then got an idea and looked at Ash with a smirk on their faces. Dawn removed her hat, took off her shirt, skirt, socks, shoes, and bra before getting under the covers with Ash and snuggling up to him, making sure to snuggle up under his arm and to his chest, revealing to Mallow just what they were planning. Iris took off both of her shirts and her shoes and leggings, revealing that she wasn't wearing anything else. She got on Ash's other side in a mirror of what Dawn did, both of them finding him comfortable to lie on.

Lana opened the door, but Mallow took her outside the room. "Mallow, what's going on?" the Alolan bluenette asked in an irritated tone. "What's so important that I can't even get into the guest room at my own house?"

"Iris and Dawn are under the covers pulling a prank on Ash," Mallow explained with a blush on her face. "Dawn still has her panties on, but Iris is completely nude." A deep blush came on Lana's face at the image. "They both have great bodies, perfect for Ash to claim them if he wanted to, but they're just snuggling up to him."

"A sex prank, huh? Well, I'm glad he didn't actually do the deed to them, but they could've had some decency and at least kept their underwear on."

"First of all, that bra is not comfortable to sleep in. Second, Iris goes full commando." Lana was shocked at the statement, but got a frown on her face. "Lana?" The local bluenette grabbed Mallow's wrist, drug her in, and quietly shut the door. "What have you got planned."

"Clothes off. Now." The glare Lana gave, coupled with her doing the same, made Mallow do as she was told. She blushed at the plan since they were joining Dawn and Iris on it. With both classmates giving a kiss to both sides of Ash's face, they got under the covers and went to sleep, unknowingly making Iris smirk since they got in on the prank.

* * *

At the forest, nightfall was approaching. Zyon was impressed at how Lillie was progressing. Of course, his excitement level matched the level of Raichu's frustration. The Electric-type unleased a blast of 'Thunder', which Snowy and Lillie dodged. The little fox unleashed another 'Powder Snow', which Raichu dodged by flipping between trees. "Rai Rai," he said, a little worn down from constantly evading Snowy and Lillie's signature move.

"Raichu, take five," Zyon ordered. The training stopped and he approached Lillie, taking care not to slip due to the icy ground. "That was awesome, Lillie. You and Snowy really rocked. You two were definitely made for each other."

"Thank you," said Lillie. The blonde went to adjust her hat, only to find it missing.

"Looking for this?" Zyon chuckled as he put the hat on.

"Hey! Give that back!"

"Now where's the fun in that? You're about to be mine anyway, so I figured I should have some fun with it."

"W...What?"

"Now, don't worry. It won't be so bad."

"Back off! I should've had Ash and Mallow help me! I'm not ready yet!"

"Hey, Lillie, don't panic, okay? I promise you, you'll enjoy it." He saw that it wasn't helping things, so he came up with a solution, albeit one he hasn't had much practice with. He focused his psychic energy towards his hand as he placed it on Lillie's shoulder. Lillie started to relax a little bit. "There you go," he said before placing a kiss on Lillie's lips. As dulled as she was, it still came as a shock to the platinum blonde, whose mind would be in a flurry of confusion if not for Zyon's power. In spite of knowing what was next, she went with a gut feeling to go with it, wrapping her arms around his neck in the process.

* * *

Back at Lana's house, Dawn's phone started ringing. She reached down, grabbed it from her bag, and saw that it was May calling. "Hello...?" the bluenette said.

 _"Dawn, it's me,"_ said May. _"Where are you?"_

"Lana's house. I suggest you don't come here. It'll look bad for you."

 _"What's going on? Are you pulling a dirty joke on her?"_

"Nope."

 _"...Ash is there, isn't he?"_

"Bingo." The confirmation got May to snicker a little bit, but then she remembered why she called.

 _"Don't take a photo. I want Ash and Serena to have their first time with each other. Anyway, you haven't seen Zyon, have you?"_

"Negative," Dawn said. "He and Raichu are training Lillie and Snowy. Iris is here, though, and she and I both came up with this joke. Lana and Mallow joined in as well."

 _"Wait, Zyon's with Lillie?"_ May asked. _"Where are they?"_

"Check the forest. You'll find them. Now if you don't mind..."

 _"Right. Enjoy your night."_ After that, the two hung up, Dawn put her phone back in her bag, and snuggled back up to her spot next to Ash.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the middle of an ocean between Alola and Hoenn, a cruise ship was headed for the former, still a while before it got there. Standing against the railing was a beautiful girl with honey blonde hair reaching her back and blue eyes. She wore a floral pattern loose shirt, white pants, white sneakers, a red sock hat, and a blue ribbon keeping her hair in a ponytail. She enjoyed the breeze as she gazed out the front of the ship. She went back into her cabin and looked at a special box with a Poké Ball symbol on it. The label said 'To: Ash; From: Prof. Sycamore'. "Pretty soon," the girl said. "We'll see him again."

CHAPTER 6 END

* * *

 **Okay, that was chapter 6. I had no idea I was going to push the dirty factor, but I found Iris, as OOC as I may have her, to be the perfect candidate to pull the risqué jokes. Anyway, I hope you liked this one. I bet you can also guess who appeared at the end.**


	7. Ash vs Iris! May vs Lillie!

**Okay, guys, I won't give Serena a big role in this one like I did for Iris in the last one. Remember that she still has to get to Melemele Island first. As for Ash and Iris, well...let's just say Kiawe's going to get in on the fun as well. If you recall right, he and Ash get into several competitions in** ** _Sun & Moon_** **, just like with Ash and Iris in** ** _Black & White_** **and Ash and Misty in the last three seasons of the original series. You still with me? Here we go.**

* * *

 **Ash vs. Iris! May vs. Lillie!**

Under Alola's moon, Ash was having a pleasant night's sleep, unaware of his female bed partners and their current states of undress. As for May, she was headed into the woods to find Zyon and Lillie and give them a piece of her mind. Furious didn't even begin to describe her at the moment. It frustrated her that he'd go off and do the harsh training with Lillie, not even knowing about the 'deed' that was going on. Of course, she knew that in order to sneak up and see what they were doing, she'd have to hide her energy. This was because Zyon put up a psychic field in the area so he can sense for intruders. May and Dawn knew he did this for training, which made her wonder how they didn't sense Ash and the Alola girls while they were training before chalking it up to Dawn.

She concealed her energy and proceeded even further into the forest. May then climbed a tree and got to jumping from branch to branch. She learned the climbing part from Ash while the jumping part came from Zyon. She enjoyed the exercise, which meant that she'd have to do this with Ash and Dawn. Of course, she'd have to get him away from his dates with Serena and his competitions with Iris and Kiawe in order for that to happen. She heard some moaning going on, which alarmed her, so she went even further into the forest. May was shocked when she came to a spot that had clothes scattered on the ground. "...You know, I wish you wouldn't wear my hat while we're doing this," said a familiar voice in a moan.

 _'That was Lillie,'_ May thought. She looked towards a cave and saw, to her horror, Zyon and Lillie making love.

"Oh come one, babe," Zyon said as he kissed and sucked on the platinum blonde's pulse on her neck. "I think it's fun." He then gave a warning that he was about to burst. In spite of Lillie's protest, he came into her. He then felt an angry source of energy, so he looked and saw May, looking even angrier than he or Ash had ever seen. "May? What are you doing here?" She gave no answer, but the tears in her eyes were enough to tell him that she saw what was going on. Before he could get a word in, she ran off, feeling betrayed. "Uh-oh."

* * *

The next morning found a bit of excitement going on. May walked by Lana's house wishing she had a bottle of alcohol to drink out of. She either wanted that, or to give Zyon a taste of his own medicine by at least helping Dawn, Iris, Mallow, and Lana pull the nude prank on Ash. The furthest she decided she'd go sober was cry on Ash's shoulder. She had no idea what she'd do if she was hammered. "Why would he do such a thing?" she asked herself as tears rolled down her face. "This was all my fault. I shouldn't have let them run off like that."

She then heard a man's shriek and immediately figured out where she was. She knew because that was Ash shouting. "W-What the...!?"

"Surprise!" the girls said. "So, Ash, did you enjoy last night?" Iris asked. "It was good for me."

"You four are really devious, you know that?" Ash said with a glare. It was mainly toward Iris since he figured she was the mastermind behind the prank. "You know who I'm saving myself for."

"We know," Dawn said as she got dressed. "Don't worry. We didn't actually do the deed. We didn't want to upset Serena. Sorry about that, Ash. But hey, at least you have something to look forward to with her."

"Thanks a lot." Ash then plotted to get even with Iris, obviously thinking of using a certain fear of hers to his advantage. After getting dressed, they decided to have breakfast at Aina's Restaurant. When Ash opened the door, though, he found a sad sight. "May?" he asked.

"Hey, Ash," she greeted in a depressed tone.

"What's wrong?"

"I'd...rather not talk about it." The quiet tone worried both Ash and Dawn, so they had the same idea.

"Hey, May?" Dawn asked, getting the brunette's attention. "How about you come with us? We were about to go to Mallow's restaurant to eat breakfast before going to school. Care to come along?"

"No thank you. You guys go on ahead. I really don't feel like attending today." Now her two friends were worried. Iris was the next one out the door and she saw a rope that Ash and Dawn passed up. Getting curious, she pulled it and wound up soaked in a bucket of ice water, getting the attention of the three talking.

"A-A-A-A-A-Ash-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh..." she said with both a chill and a glare. This broke May out of her depressed state for a moment as she let out a giggle along with Ash and Dawn laughing. "Ice water? Really?"

"It wasn't me, but it was funny," Ash said, still chuckling. They looked on top of the roof and saw Harper and Sarah sticking their tongues out in a cheeky manner.

"If you say so." Ash and Dawn looked at May again and noticed that she was still depressed. Ladychu was nuzzling her to try and help. "She looks so sad."

"You guys go on without me. Tell Professor Kukui that May and I won't be in today." The girls were shocked that Ash would say that. They knew he liked learning something new about a region he was unfamiliar with.

"Make that both of us," Dawn said. "That way, I can help keep May from doing something she'd regret."

"Thanks, Dawn." Iris, Mallow, and Lana nodded before heading to the restaurant. "Hey, May? How about some training? Ladychu still wants to learn 'Thunderbolt', right?"

"Pika!" Ladychu exclaimed, much to May's shock as Pikachu conversed with her. May saw how excited Ladychu was, as well as seeing Pikachu's excitement to teach her.

"Okay," she said, finally agreeing.

* * *

At the Pokémon School, the attending students were waiting for Professor Kukui. In the class were Zyon, Lillie, Sophocles, Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, and Iris. Professor Kukui came in and greeted the class, taking note of Iris' attendance and the absence of Ash, Dawn, and May. He was concerned when one of his students were missing, but it alarmed him when it was Ash, who was usually eager to attend class. He decided to start with the usual procedure. "Alola, Class," he greeted.

"Alola!" they exclaimed.

"Now, before we get started, we have a new student. Could you please introduce yourself?" Iris got up in front of the class to do that.

"Alola. My name is Iris. I'm from the Village of Dragons in the Unova Region," she said. "And this is my partner Axew."

"Ax! Axew!" Axew exclaimed, popping out of Iris' hair.

"We happen to be friends of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. I'm also Zyon's cousin."

"Thank you, Iris," Professor Kukui said. "Now, that does bring us to my next question. Where are Ash and Pikachu?"

"Come to think of it, where are Dawn and May too?" Sophocles asked.

"Oh yeah. Ash said that they won't be attending today," came the answer from Mallow.

 _'Oh no,_ _'_ Lillie thought. _'Ash always shows up. Could he have found out from May what went on last night? Zyon and I got together, but I still miss Ash already.'_

 _'I'm in trouble,'_ Zyon said. _'I can't connect to Ladychu or Piplup. I can't even connect with Pikachu at the moment and Blaziken's probably in its Poké Ball. May must've blocked the telepathy. Now I don't even know where she's at.'_

"We'll look for them when school's out," said Kukui. Before speaking, he saw Zyon abruptly get up. "Zyon?"

"Sorry, Professor, but I need to find them. I'm a little worried."

"Okay, then, let's make like Alolan Detective Laki and go search for them for our assignment." They agreed, but Lillie feared May's wrath, knowing her temper was enough to set off Zyon's senses.

* * *

At the area outside of Seaward Cave was a spot called Kala'e Bay. Ash, May, and Dawn found the island to be a good spot for training. The only four they'd have to worry about accessing the spot were Kiawe, Zyon, Iris, and Lana. They had their regular clothes on as Ash and Dawn set up some targets for both Pikachu to hit. The targets in question: Piles of rocks with dummies of Team Skull. It was their decision, which got a laugh out of May due to how crudely drawn they were. "Sorry if that's technically incorrect," Dawn said, referring to the design of the dummies. "Ash is an expert on drawing Pokémon, but when it comes to humans, he has little expertise."

"Well, there's that, and the fact that it was intentional," Ash said. "Okay, May, Ladychu, are you ready?"

"Yep," May said, as enthusiastically as possible.

"Pikachu!" said Ladychu.

"Okay, you two, just think of a 'Thunderbolt' as simply a really big 'Thundershock'. We'll see how powerful Ladychu's 'Thundershock' is before training up for a 'Thunderbolt'." As Ash explained it, they nodded. May commanded Ladychu to use 'Thundershock', but it wasn't as effective as they'd like. Dawn even noticed and figured out that a 'Spark' attack from her Pachirisu or Iris' Emolga could do more damage. At Ash's suggestion, they tried it again, but got the same result. Ash and Dawn noted that whatever happened to May the previous night had affected both of them. Ash then had an idea. "Okay, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu did as told and fired a 'Thunderbolt' at the target set up for him. Like Ladychu's 'Thundershock', it hit dead-on, but did much more damage. It also caught Kiawe's attention, who was just passing by.

Before Ash could ask May why she was upset, they heard some flapping. They knew it belonged to a Charizard, but May hoped it wasn't Zyon. "Hey, there you guys are!" Kiawe exclaimed.

"Oh, it's just you, Kiawe!" May breathed a sigh of relief, noticed by Dawn, as Kiawe landed. "What are you doing here?"

"Professor Kukui has the class making like we're Laki's assistants on that stupid show he and Rotom watch all the time."

 _"HEY!"_ Rotom exclaimed. _"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT 'ALOLA DETECTIVE LAKI' IS THE GREATEST SHOW EVER MADE! IT EVEN BEATS THOSE POKE BASE GAMES YOU WATCH!"_

"That's all a matter of opinion," Kiawe deadpanned before turning to Ash and the girls. "So what are you doing here? Mallow said you wouldn't be attending, but then Zyon wanted to look for you guys." They noted that May grew depressed at the mention of Zyon's name.

"That's why," Ash said. "Whatever has May depressed must have something to do with him. What it is, I don't know." As Ash explained it to Kiawe, Dawn put together the pieces and found out that it involved Lillie as well.

"I see you have the dummies looking like Team Skull. Quite frankly, I couldn't pick a better design than that." This gave Dawn the idea she needed to get May back on her feet. "What's she doing?"

"Dawn, what's up?"

"Just helping to light a fire under May's rear end," Dawn said as she redesigned the dummies. May looked and saw what Dawn was up to. It was a perfect depiction of Lillie and Zyon. "There. All done." The reaction from May was just as the bluenette predicted. May got angry, as did Ladychu. "You know how to hit 'em, May."

"No kidding!" May exclaimed, the depression gone and replaced by anger. "Ladychu, Thundershock!" The attack hit full-power at the dummy that looked like Lillie, much to the shock of Ash and Kiawe.

"Okay, that was the most powerful 'Thundershock' I've ever seen," Kiawe said. "But why take your anger out on Lillie?"

"That's none of your business!" Kiawe and his Charizard grew even more scared to the point where they backed off while May caught her breath. She reeled in her temper and got her confident smile back. She gave Ash and Dawn an unexpected hug, happy about the 'Thundershock' and its power. "Thanks, guys. I owe you both."

"No you don't," Ash said. "Not me, anyway."

"Ash, I owe you more than I can ever repay." The statement shocked Ash as May brought him into a tight hug. "Serena's a lucky girl. If not for her, Dawn would've had you already."

"So what now? With a grip like that, you'd probably out-hug Bewear."

"I'm ready to keep training." Ash, Dawn, and Kiawe liked that answer as Ash and May got ready again. Dawn switched the Zyon dummy back to a Team Skull dummy while keeping the Lillie dummy the same. After firing a series of 'Thundershocks' Ash and May found Ladychu's power growing. Pretty soon, the female Pikachu fired off a 'Thunderbolt' for the first time, exciting both trainers and Pikachu. "Let's try that again," May said. "Ladychu, Thunderbolt!" Ladychu repeated the same attack, firing her 'Thunderbolt' again at the Lillie dummy and turning it into ashes.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu repeated the same thing, completely destroying the Skull dummy. "Yeah!" Before they could celebrate, a water balloon hit Ash out of nowhere, much to Dawn, May, and Kiawe's concern. Ash looked up and saw Iris with a slingshot and a bucket of water balloons. "Nice aim."

"Nice shot," Kiawe said. He and Ash smirked before the former got a pack of balloons out. They filled some up, tied them up, and got May to let Blaziken out for this. The Fire/Fighting-type used all his power to send water balloons back at Iris with Ash and Kiawe's help from Charizard's back. By the time it was said and done, Iris was soaking wet, as were Ash and Kiawe. Dawn, May, Ladychu, and Blaziken caught up as Charizard landed where Iris was at. Iris moved her hair out from in front of her eyes, showing a disgruntled look. "I'd say this makes grounds for a second round."

"Third," Ash and Iris said, letting Kiawe know they started the prank war the previous day. They saw the rest of their classmates coming, including Zyon and Lillie. They went and hid from them, May and Dawn using their abilities to hide themselves, Ash, Iris, and Kiawe.

"You think they were here?" Sophocles asked.

"Only one way to find out," said Zyon. "I wonder what that pile of charred wood's down there for." He went down to investigate while Sophocles, Lillie, Mallow, Lana, and Kukui searched for them. He used his psychic power to pick up what happened. He saw Ash and Dawn helping May with Ladychu's training, Dawn changing the appearances of the dummies (much to his dismay), Ladychu hitting the Lillie dummy, the Zyon dummy switched back to a Team Skull dummy, and Ladychu finally learning 'Thunderbolt'. "Thanks, Ash. You may not know why May's upset with Lillie, but at least you and Dawn helped her out of her funk. Now there's going to be a war going on between those two. But why didn't Kiawe say anything?" He then took notice of a piece of water balloon near where Ash stood, so he used his power to investigate why. "Okay, so Ash, Kiawe, and Blaziken got in a water balloon fight with Iris. That would explain a lot."

"Hey! Zyon!" Sophocles exclaimed, getting his attention. "We found them!"

"Iris and Kiawe too!?" Sophocles nodded, which prompted Zyon to get back on his Charizard to return to the cliff. He saw how soaked Iris was. "Ash did that to you?"

"Ash and Kiawe both," Iris answered. Lillie and Zyon looked at May, who gave them a subtle glare, notifying them that she was still angry with them.

 _'I'm sorry, May,'_ Zyon said through telepathy. _'For what happened last night.'_

 _'I don't want to hear it,'_ May said back. _'I'll be watching you like a Swellow_ _from now on.'_ This shocked Zyon, confirming his worries about a conflict between her and Lillie.

* * *

They got back to the school in time to continue class, Ash, May, and Dawn getting a slight bit of admonishment from Kukui. Naturally, he was upset that they made him worry for no reason. Everyone went to sit down in their seats, but Ash suddenly jumped up and landed on his back. "Ash, are you alright?" Kukui asked.

"I'm fine," the Kanto trainer said, pulling a tack out of his rear end. He looked and saw Iris whistling as she walked to her desk. _'Very funny, Iris._ _Here comes payback.'_ Iris sat down and grew red from embarrassment due to a flatulent sound coming from her seat.

"Good thing it's an open-air classroom," Sophocles said, thinking it was the real deal.

"I don't think it would matter if it was fake," Iris said, holding up a whoopee cushion. "Very funny, Ash. You know the classics."

"I guess that makes me a Prank Connoisseur." This got the two and Dawn to laugh, remembering Cilan's different specialties. "Let's see...You got me with the one you set up last night, the water balloons, and the tack."

"Yep. And you got me with Snowy's 'Powder Snow', water balloon payback alongside Kiawe, and the whoopee cushion. We're tied."

"Okay, that's enough," Kukui said. "I may have to make sure this doesn't get too out of hand."

"You didn't mention the Exeggutor incident," Dawn whispered to Ash.

"That's because we don't count that one," Ash whispered back.

* * *

A little while later, class was let out. Because they spent a good part of the day looking for Ash, May, and Dawn, no notes were taken until they got back. Ash and Dawn decided that having Lillie and May around each other would be a bad idea, so they had her come with them. May agreed without hesitation, as much as Zyon disagreed with it. He knew, however, that they were trying to lessen the conflict as much as possible, so he didn't say much on the matter. Since Ash was still trying to get May and Ladychu ready for the Island Challenge, they decided to continue their training. This time, May wanted to learn more about Z-Moves, more specifically the Alorainium Z's 'Stoked Sparksurfer'.

The trio got to the beachfront in front of Professor Kukui's house in order to practice, finding no other place to practice since Zyon, Iris, and Kiawe found the one at Kala'e Bay. Normally, Kiawe would be the one to teach this, but May trusted Ash more due to knowing him longer. "Okay, so remind me again," May said. "The pose for an Electric-type Z-Move is that one you used on Team Rocket the other day, right?"

"No," Ash said. "That's the one you do for 'Catastropika'. Ladychu would need to know 'Volt Tackle' for that one. Now pay attention." May and Dawn observed closely as Ash demonstrated. "First, you cross your arms in front of your face, like so. Make sure your Z-Ring is in front in order to activate it. Next, move your arms straight out in front, keeping the Z-Ring on top. Then you slide your left foot to the side, bring your arms to your right side, make a three-quarter-circle with your left arm and a quarter-circle with your right. Make sure your left hand and Z-Ring are at your right shoulder and your right hand is at your left elbow. You get 'Gigavolt Havoc' and 'Stoked Sparksurfer' as a result." May and Dawn gave it a shot, but found that by doing it too quickly, they messed up. "Let me guess, Dawn: You want to learn for Pachirisu, don't you?"

"You got me," Dawn said. May took a deep breath and tried it again, determined to get it right for Ladychu. She messed up a few more times, but she finally got it right, to Ash, Pikachu, and Dawn's amazement. Dawn went through the same trial-and-error and finally got it. Ash noted that it took Dawn less tries. She continued to practice until she was able to do it at the same pace as their mentor. Ash noted that May tried it too, but didn't get near the pace that he and Dawn perform the pose. "May?"

"You're such a quick learner, Dawn," she said, falling to her knees.

"Not necessarily. I just don't hold grudges."

"Dawn's right," Ash said. "I let go of my grudges against Gary, Paul, and Trip a long time ago. No matter how much you train, you won't get as far as you'd like if you hold a grudge."

"I knew I liked the mature you, Ash," a voice said. They looked and saw Iris on top of Kukui's roof. "You're so much smarter like that. It looks good on you."

"Of course, there is still a such thing as a flicker of rivalry. If you can't let go of your grudge against Lillie, at least bury it as long as you can to master this pose."

"So what's this about?" Iris asked. "Are you teaching dance lessons now?"

"Oh sure. Next is ballroom dancing if you want me to teach you. You especially could learn it."

"Hardy har har."

"It's Z-Move training. I'm showing May and Dawn how to do the pose for an Electric-type Z-Move."

"Electric-type?" Ash nodded. "Think you could teach me?"

"If you're willing to set the pranks aside." Iris nodded and let out an Electric-type Pokémon that looked like a flying squirrel. It had white fur, black fur on its head, round ears and tail, yellow on its electric sacs and wings, and yellow and white on the insides of its ears. Dawn took the cue to let out a squirrel of her own. This one had white fur, light blue fur on its head going down to its bushy tail, yellow electric sacs, and spiky fur on its tail.

 _"OH, NEW SCANS,"_ Rotom said. _"EMOLGA, THE SKY SQUIRREL POKEMON, AN ELECTRIC/FLYING-TYPE. EMOLGA SCARES OFF PREDATORS BY RELEASING THE ELECTRICITY STORED IN ITS SACS. IT HIDES IN HOLES FORMED BY PIKIPEK AND TRUMBEAK."_ Rotom then went to the other squirrel. _"PACHIRISU, THE ELESQUIRREL POKEMON, AN ELECTRIC-TYPE. PACHIRISU HIDE THEIR FOOD IN THE FUR IT SHEDS. IF PEOPLE OR OTHER POKEMON TRY TO TAKE IT, THEY'LL BE IN FOR A SHOCK."_

"You may have figured out last night that Rotom likes to scan as many Pokémon as possible," Ash pointed out. Iris, Emolga, and Pachirisu got ready as they all tried it again. May took Ash's advise and buried her grudge long enough to practice the pose. Iris got the hang of it quickly, also finding it fun to do. She also found out that she'd have to learn the one for the Dragon-type Z-Move due to Axew, Dragonite, and Gible. It took some doing, but May and Iris finally got to Ash and Dawn's speed.

* * *

They all took a rest and went inside the Professor's house. Ash got some water out and gave each of the girls a bottle. Before he could take a sip of his water, he got a text. He checked it and was overjoyed. "Oh boy," Dawn said, a flirty smile coming to her face. "Is she here?"

"Not yet," he said. "She will be tomorrow at noon, though. I better tell the Professor I'll be missing class tomorrow."

"No problem. I'll cover for you."

"Cover for him for what?" Kukui asked as he came in.

"We might be getting another new student," Ash answered. "A friend of mine from the Kalos region will be arriving here tomorrow from Hoenn. She said she'll be at Hau'oli Dock by Noon."

"Boy, I don't think any other school has this many new students arriving on their records at all. You want to greet them, don't you?" Ash nodded eagerly. "Okay, but I think Kiawe was planning to have a race with you tomorrow."

"I'll race him," Iris said.

"I got a better idea. How about Ash pick up his friend and bring them to the school? Then, Kiawe can have his race." The others nodded with enthusiasm. Seeing what time it was, they got ready. Naturally, Ash wanted to sleep on the floor and let May have the bed, but she was having none of that. Since she still loved Zyon, instead of cuddling with Ash, she went with a sleeping bag. Iris and Dawn decided to flip to see who cuddles with Ash. The winner got the honor. Dawn called heads and Iris called tails. The winner was Iris, who eagerly got a spare pair of pajamas that Ash let her have. She washed up, put the PJs on, and got back in the loft and under the covers with Ash, who was asleep. He turned around and unknowingly put his arm around his friend from Unova. She was shocked and blushing up a storm, but didn't object. Instead, she decided to stay there and go to sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Zyon and May's cabin, the former was still mulling over what he did. He knew May didn't officially break up with him, but he also knew that she needed to cool down. He knew that having Lillie would mean a major battle between the two. Lillie, Snowy, and Raichu looked on as he paced the floor, unable to stay calm. The cabin's phone rang, but he wasn't paying attention. "Hello?" Lillie said, answering the call.

 _"I was hoping it was you answering,"_ said a voice. _"It's May."_

"I thought you weren't talking to him until you cooled off," the blonde girl whispered.

 _"I'm not. It was you I wanted to talk to."_ Lillie stood listening to her rival. _"Have your little fun with Zyon tomorrow if you want. Don't tell him this, but Serena sent Ash a text telling him that she'd be at Hau'oli Dock by Noon tomorrow. We're not going to be in until she arrives."_

"Okay, got it." With that, the two of them hung up. Lillie got to wondering how she was going to keep Zyon from knowing, not knowing that he was close to calming down. She heard him chuckling, but couldn't figure out why. "Zyon?"

"Oh, it's nothing," he said. "I got a feeling we're going to need some popcorn, though. Ash and Iris' little prank war might wind up spreading all across Alola."

"Why? What did they do so far?"

"Well, you there for the 'Powder Snow' gag that Ash started with. In fact, it was Snowy that pulled it off. Iris then pulled one off that I don't know the details on. Next was a water balloon fight that the two got into and the pranks that they pulled on each other in class. I think that's just a start."

"You're probably right." What Lillie didn't know was that Zyon knew about the phone call she was on once he cleared his mind. He was reading hers because of it.

 _'So Ash is going to be late again, huh?'_ he thought. _'Serena's going to arrive here, so that's a good reason in my book.'_

"Hey! Alola to Zyon!" Lillie exclaimed. "You're reading my mind, aren't you?" This startled the psychic, knowing he was caught. "You know, there are some things that are simply none of your business!"

"Okay, okay, guilty as charged!" He then backed off as Lillie relaxed a little. "So...with our current May situation, do you think you'll get along with Serena at all?"

"From what I understand, she and Ash are extremely loyal to one another as both best friends and soulmates. So I think I'll get along with her just fine." With that, Lillie left for her room, which was originally Dawn's.

"I guess that leaves Dawn, Iris, Lana, or Mallow one as Ash's rebound girl if something really bad were to happen."

"Rai," said Raichu.

* * *

The next morning saw Ash, Pikachu, and Rotom getting out and getting some exercise in Hau'oli City. Normally, he would be headed to the Pokémon School, but he wanted to be at the docks for when Serena arrived. Naturally, they were hoping to be alone when they met up with her, but knowing Professor Kukui and his class, it wasn't going to happen. He bought some apples and gave one to Pikachu while saving another one for Serena when she arrived. It was 11:55 and Ash arrived at the dock with Pikachu and Rotom, where they noticed that the ship was coming in. They entered the port and saw that May was there waiting for him to show up. "No class today?" he asked.

"Not until we get back with Serena," she said. "I'm curious as to what she looks like in person." They saw several people arriving off the ship ready for vacation, one of which was a certain blue-eyed honey blonde they were expecting. Ash and Pikachu were smiling while May was shocked at the sight.

"Ash!" the blonde exclaimed in excitement as soon as they laid eyes on each other.

"Serena!" Ash responded in kind.

CHAPTER 7 END

* * *

 **Okay, so that's Chapter 7. I know it's a little short, but bear with me.** **So while the drama between Lillie and May begins and Zyon becomes the center of it, Ash and Iris engage in a prank war that has Kiawe joining in. Hopefully, Iris will lay off while Ash and Serena are together. Stay tuned for the next chapter.**


End file.
